


Storm Front

by KittyoftheNight



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Laxus Dreyar/Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Character(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2018-12-13 11:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11758665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyoftheNight/pseuds/KittyoftheNight
Summary: Life has never been easy, especially, for a dragon slayer. The true problem comes though when power is challenged and the very definition of family is threatened. Although, how is one to react when faced with blood kin and that of friends? As Tegan continues to find her way, that in itself will become her biggest challenge. "All ahead for Fairy Tail!"





	1. Tegan Veil

**Fairy Tail**

**Chapter 1**

**Tegan Veil**

The feeling of darkness surrounded her, the water flowing seamlessly with the waves of the sea. Compared to the size of the waves, she was a tiny thing, her choppy hair floating around her.

Before all of this, she’d been running for her life. A group of men had been chasing her, chasing her right to the edge of a cliff. They’d been shouting about the child of prophecy, a child of their god, given the color of her hair. Personally, she’d never seen another with her hair color, the top a pale white like the moon, and the locks underneath being a plethora of aqua blues. Even stranger was her eyes. They were a multitude of purples with flecks of gold inside.

She’d been caught stealing food, only to have people gasping around her and shouting. All of this over a mere apple, the size only being relative to the size of her tiny fist. Instead of cutting her hand off, they chased her, wanting to make her a sacrifice to their long dead god.

A bright shimmering blue was the only thing that she saw before she closed her eyes one last time.

xXx

Chatter filled the streets of Magnolia as children ran around giggling, tossing balls back and forth. The sun shone brightly in the sky in all its brilliance. Even the birds seemed happy, chirping to their hearts content. One in particular flew through the masses, settling itself on the balcony of an open window. It hopped around a bit, pecking at the stale crumbs that had been left out the day before, its wings fluttering as it puffed itself up.

Inside, passed the curtains was the quiet sound of breathing, only being interrupted by the pecking outside. Sheets rustled with a groan as springs squeaked. Before too long the sound of a thump was heard, then a strand of curses. Sadly, all of this was a normal occurrence as the owner pulled themselves from bed, purple eyes glaring toward the bird seated outside.

“Damn birds, always waking me up.”

The voice was distinctly feminine, the young woman running a hand through her choppy hair in an attempt to tame it. After that, she pushed herself up off the floor where she had fallen, dusting herself off as she moved toward her closet.

“I wonder if Laxus is back yet?” she spoke quietly as she rummaged through her clothes.

In all reality, there really wasn’t much to choose from, much to her young friend Levy’s dismay. The young azurette was always threatening to drag her out of her home and to the store, complaining that she needed to try and look more feminine. Personally though, the woman didn’t care, merely grabbing a pair of cargo pants. She hopped around for a moment or two, sliding her legs through as she tried to keep her balance, before snatching a blue crop top from a random hanger. This left her midriff open for viewing, the toned valley of her stomach protruding slightly against her pants due to the tight waist band.

Once she was done with all of this, that’s when she made her way out, the bird on her window watching as her form faded into the distance.

**Tegan 101**

The moment she set foot inside the guild, a flurry of pink was sent flying passed her head, yellow static crackling from scorch marks.

“Well, that just answered my earlier question,” she sighed, rolling her eyes as she made her way up toward the bar.

“Yo! Tegan, what’s up?” Gray called out, the young ice mage making his way toward her.

Looking up, Tegan rose an eyebrow in question, her eyes scanning his bare chest.

“Gray, your clothes,” she pointed out, watching as his eyes went wide in realization.

“Damn it!” he yelled, quickly running off to find his clothes.

Tegan would never understand this habit of his. For as long as she’d known him, Gray had a strange habit of stripping his cloths. It didn’t matter where he was at or what he was doing, it always seemed to happen and half the time he didn’t even realize that he’d done it.

“You damn pervert, are you trying to traumatize her!?” her pink haired friend yelled, flying forward to punch Gray.

Tegan merely sweat dropped, a puff of air escaping her as she sighed. Her two friends, Natsu and Gray, they were always fighting. It didn’t matter what it was about. In fact, they could merely be taunting each other and Natsu would practically tear apart the guild hall half the time if he wasn’t stopped. In fact, it was about how Mira and Erza used to be when they were younger, the first of the two standing behind the bar with a charming smile on her face.

“Morning, Tegan,” Mira greeted, her eyes alight as she caught sight of her friend.

“Hey, Mira,” she replied. “I see Laxus is back.”

“Yep. He just got back about a hour ago,” Mira told her, tapping a finger against her chin, before remembering something. “Oh yeah, he said something about wanting to talk to you actually.”

At the mention of that, Tegan deadpanned instantly.

“Talk or shock?” she groaned, looking up toward the second floor of their guild hall.

It had been established a long time ago that Tegan was of qualifying S-Class status. The only issue was, she didn’t really want to be S-Class. Being S-Class meant realizing the true dangers of her powers. Even though she had powerful magic, it was still dangerous. Her most powerful and destructive spells could easily get her killed if she wasn’t careful. Then again, the same could technically be said for any of Fairy Tail’s many mages. Still, due to her status, she was able to freely walk around the second floor.

“Try and play nice,” Mire chuckled, tilting her head to the side.

“Shouldn’t you be telling him that?” Tegan asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

Mira merely smiled at her friend before handing her a drink, moving to the side as she cleared the way to the stairs.

“Well, if you see me flying into a wall, you know why?” Tegan laughed halfheartedly, the corner of her lips tugging slightly as she made her way upstairs.

“Hey, where’d Tegan go?” Natsu asked, looking around only to come up empty handed.

xXx

“Laxus.”

“Tegan.”

The two stared at each other, not blinking an eye as they stared one another down. Out of nowhere, a chair broke against the balcony, shards of wood flying and raining down on the two. Within seconds, Tegan was at the railing, her drink now forgotten on the floor and eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“Damn it, Natsu!” she yelled. “Stop throwing shit!”

This earned a chuckle from Laxus, the older mage watching as the younger one growled. He always found it funny, how quick her temper could change. Normally, she was rather quiet and calm, but then she could easily be yelling up a storm the next moment. It was no doubt a result of her dragon sake. After all, as a water dragon, she likely took on certain attributes of her nature. Just as the sea can be beautiful, so too can it be deadly. This was Tegan in a nutshell which is why he always found pleasure in messing with her.

“Mira said that you wanted to talk to me?” Tegan asked, suddenly calm as though nothing had transpired between her and the fire dragon.

Instead of saying anything right away, Laxus pulled something from his pocket, tossing it her way. Tegan’s hand shot up, easily catching the object in her hand. She gave him a questionable look for a moment, before looking at what lay in her palm. It was a token of sorts, an insignia stamped into the metal.

“Gray Scale?” she breathed out, her eyes shooting back up to Laxus’ grey blue orbs.

“I know it’s not much, but I think we’re getting closer,” he told her, before looking out at the guild.

Down below, their fellow guild mates were enjoying each other’s company, no knowledge of what was going on upstairs. They could hear Elfman Strauss going on about what it was to be a real man, the large man having a slight crush on her. Over in a corner, Reedus sat painting, a smile on his face as he watched and listened to the chatter around him.

“Have you told your grandfather about this yet?” Tegan asked quietly, staring down at the token in her hand.

“No, not yet,” he told her. “I figured it was only right to bring it to your attention first.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, gripping the trinket tightly in her hand.

It was quiet for a moment as Tegan closed her eyes, drawing in a breath of air. So many things had happened over the last few years. During her time in Fairy Tail, she’d bounced around a bit, helping out with missions here and there. She never really had a rival per say, unlike Natsu and Gray or Erza and Mira. Yes, she had her squabbles every now and then, but who didn’t.

“Hey.”

Upon hearing the lightning mages voice sound, Tegan turned her head toward him, a questionable look on her face.

“You know, you could always come with me on a mission some time and we could try and sort this out a bit better?” he offered.

“And where would the fun be in that?” she joked.

“You know, I could always fry your ass,” he countered, a smirk now plastered on his face.

“You’re a dick, you know that Laxus?”

“Yeah, well you can be a real bitch at times,” he replied.

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“Shut up lightning brains!”

“Why don’t you make me sea witch!”

“Why don’t you say that to my face spikey!”

“Maybe I will trany!”

“Why you-!”

Before they could do anything else, Master Makarov interrupted them, silencing the both of them with an evil glare.

“Enough you two!” he shouted, stopping them in their tracks.

“Sorry Master,” Tegan sighed, bowing her head in apology.

Laxus merely laughed at her.

“Come on, Old Man, I was just starting to have fun,” Laxus chuckled.

“Laxus, I said enough,” Makarov announced. “Now… how did your mission go my boy?” he asked, completely switching gears.

“Weird,” Tegan muttered.

Both men merely ignored her comment, turning toward conversation. For a moment, Laxus stared at Tegan, receiving a nod in return.

“I believe that we’re one step closer to Gray Scale,” Laxus revealed, Makarov’s eyes widening slightly.

“What?” he gapped. “What have you found?” Makarov asked quickly. “Tell me.”

“Master?”

The voice belonged to Tegan, drawing the master’s attention as she pulled the token from her pocket. She was a bit hesitant in bringing it forward, the small round coin clutched within her hand.

“What do you have my dear?” Makarov inquired, watching as she uncurled her hand.

His eyes fell upon the token immediately, quickly grabbing it from her outreached hand. Stamped within the metal was an emblem that he was all too familiar with.

Over the years, Gray Scale had grown from a guild of few to a guild of many. Unlike most dark guilds though, they tried to keep things under wraps, covering their tracks where ever they went. The only problem with them was the fact that they were indeed a dangerous guild. Their headquarters in particular were nonexistent, leaving behind only a single token for entrance. The fact that Laxus had found one was a mere question of luck if nothing else. Finds like these were extremely rare.

“Where did you find this, Laxus?” Makarov asked, turning to his grandson.

“On my way back, I came through a small village in the forest,” he began. “Apparently, someone had come through a while back and dropped it,” he explained.

“I highly doubt things are that simple,” Makarov said simply.

Tegan nodded her head in agreement. Members of Gray Scale didn’t just go around dropping their tokens unless there was something to be said by them. This got Tegan wondering though. Why would someone from Gray Scale show up in such a small village and leave a trace behind. It was no doubt deliberate.

“Regardless, the village head gave it to me when he saw me, saying that it was bad luck for his village or something,” Laxus said.

For a moment, it was quiet between them. Makarov was thinking about something, but neither of the young wizards knew what that might be.

“Tegan,” Makarov spoke, turning to face her.

“Yes, Master?”

“I want you to accompany Laxus back to that village,” he stated.

“What!?” she exclaimed, eyes going wide. “You can’t be serious?”

“I believe that I’m quite serious my dear.”

Laxus stood there snickering at Tegan’s dismay. He always found her reactions hilarious. Even when they were younger, he’d always find himself laughing when she disagreed with something because the expressions that she made.

“Come on, Tegan, I won’t bite,” Laxus teased, earning a glare in return.

“Master, Laxus would fry me before lifting a hand otherwise,” she complained, trying to weasel her way out of having to go.

“Now, now, my dear. It can’t be that bad,” Makarov tried. “After all, the two of you used to go on missions together without problems as children if I remember correctly.”

With the reminder, Tegan was silenced, drawing in a breath of air. She knew that would be used against her.

“Fine,” she sighed in defeat. “When do we leave?”

“I would like you to take care of this as soon as possible, so tomorrow preferably.”

xXx

Sitting on her bed, Tegan let out a sigh. She hadn’t expected to be leaving with Laxus to check up on Gray Scale. If anything, she’d rather stay away.

Looking in the mirror, Tegan looked herself over, her baggy cargo pants hanging from her hips while her crop top rested on her shoulders. The tanned pelt she had was wrapped around her hips as per usual, the plush fur a welcomed relief against her tanned skin. Her skin in particular was a rather large contrast to her hair though, the pale white top contrasting greatly with the blues underneath of it. At one point, she could remember Laxus and Bixlow picking on her about it when she was young. The later of the two would merely do it just for kicks, poking and prodding as they went back and forth picking at one another for their ‘oddities’. After all, other than her hair and eyes, Tegan looked far more normal than Bickslow did. Even with that though, over time she had found that he wasn’t that bad of a person and was rather easy to get along with, strangely enough.

Next in Laxus’ little group was Freed. That man in particular was rather different. Compared to the rest of them, he was a rather presentable gentleman. Always dressed to impress as some would say, his bright almost neon green locks sticking out the most. Freed was also friendly, treating Tegan as a friend like most of the guild did. He was also possibly the greatest rune mage that she’d ever come across.

Lastly, there was Evergreen or Ever for short. Ever was probably the biggest drama queen ever. Not that she didn’t have her good qualities, but she would simply kill Tegan if she took her out shopping of all things. If her and Levy ever tried that together, Tegan swore that she’d die. Either that or she actually go and ask Laxus to just electrocute her instead, that way she wouldn’t have to go through the whole ordeal.

“Why am I surrounded by crazy people?” Tegan asked aloud, running a hand through her choppy hair.

She looked at the strands, contemplating on if she should let it actually grow out or simply chop it off. Then again, if she chopped it off, it would give Laxus more reason to call her a trany. The only reason he started it was because even after she started growing into a woman, she still dressed like a boy. It wasn’t her fault though. She felt comfortable dressing the way that she did. By dressing a particular way, it avoided drawing any further attention to herself than she normally did by walking around.

Regardless, she had always found herself lacking in one way or another, never truly feeling like a normal woman. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was a dragon slayer like Natsu and Laxus. With such great power came a bridge between some people. Some men would feel inferior at the thought of dating a woman more powerful than they were. Perhaps that’s why in her own little mind, she actually liked the company of Laxus and Natsu. Even though they were men, they both held onto the same destructive power that she did. As a result, she felt more equal than she did unbalanced.

Shaking her head, Tegan stood up, pulling her pack out from underneath of her bed. She then pulled open one of her drawers, tossing a few things in, before moving to the closet. She paid little attention to what she grabbed before throwing it in as well. Once she was done with that, she opened the drawer to her nightstand, carefully pulling out a small pouch full of lacrima. Each was filled to the brim with water magic. She figured that if they were going out to look into Gray Scale, then it was a safe bet to bring a few with her, just incase.

“Hey!”

Jumping at the sudden noise, Tegan dropped the pouch, the small crystals falling to the floor and rolling over the wooden boards. Turning her head, she saw Laxus sitting on her windowsill, a glare on her face as she picked up a glass and threw it at him. He merely chuckled though, catching it in his hand before it hit him in the face.

“Nice try,” he smirked, showing off his canines.

“I swear, the next time you do that, I’m just going to punch you in the face!” she exclaimed in frustration, running a hand through her hair again.

“Just figured I’d stop by to kick your ass in gear,” he shrugged.

“And why would you bother with that?” she asked snidely, raising a brow in question.

“Because I wouldn’t want Gramps harping on me for leaving you behind.”

“Wait, what?”

As soon as she said that though, Laxus was already back outside and walking off, not bothering to look back.

“Hey! Wait!” Tegan yelled, scrambling to snatch up a few lacrima from the ground, before following out the window.

She didn’t even bother with anything else as she ran after Laxus, calling for him to wait up as she tossed her pack over her shoulder. All she knew was that she was in for a long trip.

**Okay, so I originally started posting this on Fanfiction. I figured I'd do it here as well since I'm starting to add new chapters. Please, let me know what you think? Also, I was thinking of having this be a Laxus/OC, possibly Gajeel. I'm debating on just getting rid of the whole Thunder Palace ordeal all together and have Laxus NOT get kicked out, giving his 'relationship' with Tegan and how they work with each other. Anyway, let me know what you think!**


	2. Kana Village

**Storm Front**

**Chapter 2**

**Kana Village**

“So…” Tegan started, her feet already aching after walking for about 5 hours. “Any chance of a break?”

When she received no reply, she narrowed her eyes.

“Laxus?”

There was still no answer, causing her to groan in frustration. Although, after listening carefully, she caught the sound of music. He was listening to music.

The next thing Laxus knew, he was having his Sound Pod headphones ripped from his ears, the music leaving him.

“Hey!” he growled, making to snatch them back.

“I don’t think so,” Tegan countered, jumping out of reach.

“You better give ‘em back,” he barked, leaping forward in another attempt to grab them.

At the last moment, Tegan ducked, watching as Laxus flew over her and into the dirt.

“I’m warning you Veil,” Laxus said pointedly, lightning slowly pooling into his hand.

Tegan drew in a small breath upon seeing this. She never really did appreciate his lightning. Well, she did, just not when it was aimed at her.

“Try it and I’ll break them,” she said firmly, drawing water up into her hand, allowing it to hover over his headphones.

“You wouldn’t darn.”

“Wouldn’t I?” she grinned, moving her watery hand closer.

“Che!”

With that, Laxus lowered his hand. Tegan did the same, before tossing his headphones back to him. She’d never really intended on breaking them. After all, Laxus loved his Sound Pods. In fact, she rarely ever saw him without them. Besides, who was she to torture him like that? He was technically her friend, so she had no use in such things, no matter how annoying he could be at times.

“Can we take a break?” she finally decided to ask again.

“A break?” he scoffed.

“Yes, a break,” she stated. “You know, it’s when you stop to rest after a bit? Especially, after walking for god knows how long?”

Laxus rolled his eyes for a moment. He didn’t know why she was complaining. She was a dragon slayer after all, so he thought that she should just learn to suck it up and deal with it.

“Please, Laxus?” she begged, clasping her hands together.

“You’re pathetic, you know that?” he asked, causing her frown.

He then waited until she picked her pack up again, throwing it over her shoulder, before walking passed him. Once she had done that, a smirk formed on his lips, hand reaching out. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt, pulling her back with a tug, and tossing her onto her butt into the shade of a nearby tree.

“Ow…” she groaned, narrowing her eyes at him before realizing what he’d done. “I thought you said.”

“I know what I said,” he replied, cutting her off. “Now, shut up and take a nap or something,” he said offhandedly, before finding another shady tree to stand under.

“You know, you don’t have to stand so far away Laxus,” Tegan pointed out, looking up at him from her spot on the ground.

Even after her statement, he didn’t say anything, merely deciding to stay quiet. Tegan shrugged in response, turning her attention elsewhere. Right now, she was hungry, finding herself rummaging through her pack.

Tegan then began talking to herself, going through everything in the pack as she searched for her food. She’d put in at least one loaf of bread, along with a bit of honey. Other than that though, there wasn’t much to choose from.

“Ah ha! Chocolate!” she exclaimed, shooting her hand above her head in triumph as she grinned happily.

In her hand was a bar of deliciously smooth dark chocolate. It’s taste alone could make one’s mouth water.

“Mmm,” she practically moaned in ecstasy as she inhaled the scent of the sinfully delicious confection.

Right as she was about to take a bite of it, she caught Laxus glancing over at her. She looked down at the bar, then back up at him, before breaking it in half. One half was held in her hand, while the other was stretched toward Laxus, a friendly smile on her face.

“Here,” she offered, holding it out toward him.

“I don’t want it,” he said quietly, turning his head to the side.

“Liar,” Tegan scoffed.

“I said I don’t want it.”

Tegan narrowed her eyes at him for his words.

“Liar,” she repeated. “You know, you don’t have to keep acting like this when it’s just the two of us,” Tegan pointed out.

“Who said I’m acting?” he questioned, walking toward her as he kept his arms crossed over his chest.

As he got closer, Tegan caught the faint smirk pulling on his lips, a grin plastered on her face as a result. Laxus was so full of himself at times, something that she learned during her time in Fairy Tail. The only difference between her and most of her other guild mates was what they truly knew. There were few people that Laxus would truly talk to about things. Yes, he would talk to his team members at times, but that didn’t mean that he’d go in depth with whatever it was that was on his mind.

Due to Tegan’s appearance when they were younger, Laxus had taken an interest in her, ‘befriending’ her of all people. When she’d first come to Fairy Tail, Laxus had originally looked down on her, arrogantly saying that she’d have to get through him if she wanted to enter. As a result, she had conjured up a strong spray of water and shot it in his face, giving him a faint shock due to his somewhat touchy magic. Her attitude was what had drawn him to her. He’d had his eye on her from the very moment she’d hit him, his interest forever peaked.

“Yum,” Laxus grinned, taking a large bite out of the chocolate that’d been offered to him.

As a result, Tegan sat there laughing, a smile on her face. Despite their obvious differences, she could never truly ‘not’ like him. She only wished that she had as strong a control on her powers as he did. Perhaps then, she’d be more comfortable in her own skin.

“So, how much farther do you think it is?” Tegan asked out of curiosity.

While waiting for him to answer, she fumbled through her bag, pulling out the small handful of lacrima that she’d managed to toss in. A frown formed on her face though as she held one up to the light, finding a crack in it. After all, they were pretty much glass vessels.

“Probably another days journey,” Laxus shrugged, earning a sigh in return.

“Sometimes, I hate going on missions,” Tegan muttered, tossing the marble sized lacrima to the ground.

If a lacrima was cracked, it became practically useless. This meant that there was really no use carrying it around. If nothing else, it would only manage to explode on her.

“Well, I guess that’s just too bad,” Laxus chuckled. “After all, I distinctly remember you ‘liking’ it when you got to go out of town. In fact, you would often beg the old man to let you go with someone.”

Upon hearing this, Tegan’s face went red in embarrassment. Once again, Laxus was trying to mess with her and he was doing a rather good job at it.

xXx

Back at Fairy Tail, Mirajane sat at the bar with her brother Elfman, the large man sitting there as his big sister talked his ear off.

“Hey Elfman?” Mirajane asked quietly.

“Yeah, big sis?”

“How do you think Tegan and Laxus are doing right now?” she questioned.

At the mention of Tegan’s name, Elfman straightened, puffing out his chest.

“I bet they’re fighting some bad guys right now. Tegan’s a real man,” Elfman exclaimed, causing Mira to laugh.

“More like a formidable woman,” she chuckled. “I can only imagine how they’re dealing with each other right now though.”

An image of Tegan chasing Laxus around popped into her head, before it changed to Laxus shocking her silly with his lightning. She winced at the thought.

“What’s wrong Mira?” Elfman asked, noticing the look on his sister’s face.

“Oh, nothing,” she assured him. “Just thinking.”

xXx

“Hey! Give it back!” a little boy yelled, chasing after another one as they played keep away.

This is what Laxus and Tegan walked into as they arrived at the village. At this point, the sun was already starting to sink, even though it was still high in the sky. Both companions were tired though, even though they wouldn’t admit to one another just how tired they were. It was already bad enough that they had run in to a forest Vulcan on the way there, the crazy ape trying to kidnap Tegan. She had laughed though when Laxus had electrocuted it, all of its fur standing on end as it lay twitching on the forest floor. The express on its face when Dreyar’s lightning had flared up was priceless.

“Hey, Spikey, wait up!” Tegan called out, trudging forward after him, kicking a bit of dirt up as she went.

She could still hear the sound of kids shouting, bouncing a ball back and forth over another child’s head. The little boy was almost in tears as he tried to get the ball back. Strangely, it sounded off, something making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

“Hurry up,” Laxus called back, moving toward the center of the village.

He was looking for the village head, the one that had given him the Gray Scale token. He figured that maybe then they could shed some light on things.

“Where the heck is he?” Laxus muttered, arms folded over his chest as he looked around.

It wasn’t as if the man he was looking for was hard to miss. Quite the opposite actually. The person he was looking for was small, almost like his grandfather. His hair was long and grey with age, his locks tied back in a loose ponytail. He’d had a walking stick with him with the figure of a large frog carved into it even.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Tegan asked, walking up alongside Laxus.

“Of course,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes at her accusation.

Suddenly, something clicked with Tegan’s instincts, something primal almost. She froze, breath catching in the back of her throat.

“Laxus?”

“What!?” he growled, quickly getting annoyed with her useless questions.

“We shouldn’t have come here,” Tegan breathed out, a feeling of dread finally washing over her.

Seconds later, the scene around them melted away, leaving behind what could only be considered a burnt wasteland.

The ground was cracked and falling apart. The trees were black as fresh burnt coal, some laying on the ground in heaps, while others were split or laying broken in pieces. What used to be huts were no more than kindle and ash, dwindling away into nothing.

Then, without warning, the ground around them exploded sending them flying. They barely had time to process what was happening, a gaping hole staring back at them where they had been moments before.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

The voice was foreign to both mages as they tried to regain their bearings. Another voice followed after it as several figures came into view.

“A couple of nasty little fairies I think,” one chuckled.

Gripping her head, Tegan squinted her eyes. It was slightly fuzzy for a moment, before her purple orbs finally started to focus and clear up. In front of her were several men, the first of which was rather tall, his frame thin, but muscular. His hair was short, sweeping out and away from his face as the tips went from yellow to red. What caught her attention the most was the blood on his fingers, his tongue reaching out to lick them clean.

That’s when she saw it, Gray Scale’s mark adorning his tongue of all places.

“It looks like we found what we were looking for,” she groaned quietly, slowly pushing herself up from the ground.

“Stone Make: Stone Fist!”

Eyes going wide, Tegan called upon her magic, jets of water pulsing beneath her feet. They propelled her up and out of the way, quickly followed by a shield of water, slowing down the projectiles that came with the upheaval of ground.

“Tegan!”

That was her cue to move, a torrent of lightning speeding toward her and the enemy. It was her only chance to put a respectable amount of distance between herself and her foes, flipping up and out of the way back toward Laxus. The moment she was close enough to him, Laxus caught her, tossing her up in the air.

“Water Dragon’s Whirlwind Bullets!” she cried out, a large spray shooting outward and penetrating the surrounding area like daggers.

“Gotcha,” Laxus grinned, catching her once more as she fell toward him, positioning her behind him.

Once in battle, they always knew how to work together. Yes, they may fight at times, but when faced with an enemy, all of that was thrown out the door. Tegan was one of the very few that could even say that about Dreyar.

“Nice job,” the dark stranger said, clapping his hands for a moment, before turning his eyes toward his team mates. “But let’s see how you deal with Blood Magic,” he grinned.

Before either could register anything, the blood mage’s eyes turned bright red, and his skin became dusted with a dark hue. They watched as his eye teeth grew longer into fangs and his tongue became forked. He was using forbidden magic, that much they knew.

Drawing in a breath, Tegan squeezed Laxus’ arm, closing her eyes for a moment. She was trying to hone her senses before all hell broke loose. She then opened her eyes, pulling a lacrima from her pocket and crushing it, the magic settling in her hand. Unlike Laxus’ she would be better protected from this magic, but only for so long.

Without thinking, Tegan slid her hand down into the lightning mage’s own, running her dust covered hand over the top of his. Then, with the remaining dust, she lifted her hand up and blew it out around him as her hand began brimming with blue light.

“Aqua Veil,” she breathed out, igniting the magic around them. “Be careful.”

With that, Tegan let go of her friend’s hand, placing a bit of distance between one another as she slid her feet apart.

“Let’s see how long you last!” the creature before her cried out, rushing forward toward the two. “Reaper Slash!”

A wave of red was sent out across the battle field, knocking out a tree as both Laxus and Tegan jumped out of the way. Tegan had rolled to the left, while Laxus has gone to the right, dust rising up into the air.

“Water Rail!” Tegan yelled, throwing her hand outward as a rail of water shot from her hand.

Her enemy dodged, cutting through it with his nails, before sprinting toward her again. He then swiped at her, drawing her away from the rest of the group as she avoided it, leaving Laxus to deal with the rest of the Gray Scale members.

“Who are you?” Tegan asked, dodging a hit aimed for her side.

“The names Kafka,” he grinned, lashing out again as he managed to clip her arm. “Although, my friends call me Blood Sucker.”

“What friends?” she scoffed, jumping back as she clutched her arm.

She pulled her hand back to examine it, blood running down from the wound and coating her hand. That was far too much blood for a simple cut. At the same time, Kafka’s grin was growing, his fangs peeking through.

“You let your guard down,” he said smugly, earning a questionable look in return. “Bloody Rampart!”

Suddenly, Tegan felt her very blood being pulled from her body, a gasp escaping her lips. She felt the energy in her body draining, her hand shooting back to her arm as she attempted to salvage the situation by coating it with water, before freezing it all together. By doing this, it seemed to stop Kafka’s attack, the ice incasing her arm tinged red from the blood freezing.

“Smart, but not good enough,” he chuckled. “Blood Possession!” he shouted, wrenching his arm back and sending her toward him in the process.

She let out a gasp as his fist connected with her stomach, his lips resting against the shell of her ear.

“You know, your father’s words don’t do your beauty justice,” he whispered, before retracting his hand and letting her fall to the ground. “In fact, if it weren’t for him, you’d be dead already,” he chuckled, kneeling down in front of her.

xXx

“Lightning Explosion!” Laxus yelled, trusting his fists toward ground.

Lightning rushed forward, sending the ground beneath his enemies exploding. He ran forward, punching one of them in the face as he leapt over another, landing on his toes effortlessly. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of Tegan and Kafka, blood running down her arm as she held her ground.

“That a girl,” he grinned, throwing his leg out into his opponents stomach before they had the chance to strike.

None of them seemed to pose a real threat save for Kafka, the strange man having taken a curious interest in Tegan.

“Stone Make: Stone Hand!” one of them called out, catching Laxus in the face and sending him onto his back.

xXx

“You’re lying!” Tegan groaned, before her face was pressed into the dirt by Kafka’s hand, dust flying up into her nose making her cough.

She was still breathing heavily from the blow to the stomach, a bruise already forming as she lay there.

“Really now?” he questioned, before grabbing her hair and pulling her up from the ground.

She cried out as she was lifted about a foot off the ground. His fingers where threaded tightly through her hair, preventing her from slipping out of his grip.

“So much spunk for a little thing,” he chuckled, bringing her forward so that they were nose to nose. “It’s almost a shame that you’re a part of Fairy Tail. We could have so much fun if you weren’t,” he grinned, before throwing her into a tree, her head connecting against the bark with a sickening crack.

He then watched as she slid down to the ground, falling over onto her side. Her hair covered her face as she laid there, blood slowly staining her hair at the back of her skull.

Slowly, Kafka made his way toward her, taking his time as he savored the smell of her blood. He’d always enjoyed the smell of blood, the scent driving him into a frenzy. To him, it was like sweet nectar, and he was the bee.

“You know, I really would have pegged you for being stronger,” Kafka spoke aloud. “I mean, you are a dragon slayer after all.”

“Cover your face!” came Dreyar’s voice.

“Huh?” Kafka looked to the side, only to be blown backwards.

Laxus had picked up the cracked lacrima that Tegan had tossed earlier, throwing it toward Kafka, and blowing it up with a bolt of lightning. This gave him enough time to grab Tegan, pulling her into his arms, before fleeing the scene as lightning took over his form.


	3. Porlyusica!

**Storm Front**

**Chapter 3**

**PORLYUSICA!**

 

“Come on, you gotta stay awake, Veil,” Laxus heaved, his legs shaking slightly as he continued forward.

For a good portion of the way, Laxus had used his lightning form, cutting down on both time and distance. The only problem with that was the amount of magic that he had to use up in doing so. At the moment, he was walking, Tegan’s arm over his shoulder as he held onto her arm and waist. She was still awake, but barely. Most of her pale hair was already stained red with blood due to the apparent crack in her skull. That maniac Kafka had done a number on her, but still left her conscious, even if only by a hair. Laxus in particular was scratched up a bit, but other than the bruise forming near his eye, he was perfectly intact.

“Hey!” Laxus barked, catching her attention and waking her back up.

“Huh?” she groaned, swaying as he helped her walk forward.

Unfortunately, this was the only way Laxus had found that would keep her awake. He would of simply carried her the rest of the way, but in doing so, he would risk her falling asleep.

“You gotta stay awake,” he told her.

“Make me…” she mumbled, her head lolling to the side for a moment.

In return, Laxus sent out a small shock, letting it travel up and through her arm. It did the job without a doubt, jolting her back awake.

“Jerk,” she muttered weakly.

“Come on, you can do better than that,” Laxus chuckled, hoping that if he egged her on enough, she might try harder to stay awake.

“Bolts for brains…”

“Come on.”

“Jerk.”

“Try harder.”

“Ass wipe.”

Again, Laxus chuckled, a faint smile adorning her lips. At least she was trying to humor him.

“Come on, trany, you can do better than that,” he smirked.

“Dick.”

“Trany.”

“Light bulb.”

“Seriously?”

They both laughed for a moment, Tegan letting out a groan after that as her legs finally gave out.

“Easy girl,” Laxus said, finally making up his mind to carry her the rest of the way.

“Laxus?” Tegan murmured, resting her head against his chest.

As she did this, she could hear the sound of his heart beating. It was strong and steady, if not a bit fast at the moment. It was rhythmic and comforting, like the sound of some of his music.

“Hm?”

“You’re a good friend,” she whispered, finally closing her eyes as her body finally went limp in his arms.

“Shit!”

xXx

She felt heavy in his arms as he ran, pushing his legs as fast as he could. Despite their differences, they’d always laughed together. When he was a young teen, he’d taken her with him and his grandfather to the Fantasia festival. Her eyes had been alight the entire time, watching the explosions of magic around her. She’d held his hand through the entire event, not wanting to be separated. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen her smile so much. At the same time, he wasn’t sure he’d ever been so red in the face.

xXx

Loud and lively as ever was the guild of Fairy Tail. As per usual, everyone was joking and laughing. Mirajane was at the front of the bar talking away with Cana, while her brother sat talking with a few of their other friends over a game of cards.

“Ha! I win!” Elfman proclaim, pumping his fist up in the air in victory.

“Again?” Bisca whined, the gunsmith bowing her head in frustration as she tossed her cards out on the table.

Her partner merely chuckled, getting up from his seat and walking toward the bar to get her another drink. He figured after that beating, she likely needed another drink.

“Hey, Mira, can I have a couple more drinks and a plate of chips?” Alzack asked, the dark haired gunman smiling at his friend.

“Of course, Alzack,” Mira smiled, turning around and grabbing a couple of mugs and filling them up.

She was about to hand them over when the front doors suddenly burst open. The drinks fell from her hands when she saw who it was, the contents spilling over the floor.

“Mira?” Alzack questioned, brows furrowing with worry. “What…?”

He stopped when he saw her looking toward the front of the hall, his jaw going slack as he watched Laxus nearly stumble through the front doors. He held Tegan in his arms, gasping for air as he fell to his knees. It was obvious that he’d rushed all the way there, clearly out of breath.

“Get the old man!” Laxus barked, trying to catch his breath.

Natsu was the first to come forward, eyes wide in panic as he fell to his knees beside Laxus.

“Tegan?” he gapped, his hand gripping her shoulder as he tried to wake her.

“It’s no use, she’s not waking up,” Laxus told him, drawing in a breath of air. “I’ve tried shocking her and even that didn’t work,” he admitted.

“You WHAT!?” Natsu practically screamed, fire erupting around him. “You can’t just go around shocking her whenever you want! You damn lightning bolt!”

Laxus merely sweat dropped at Natsu’s comment, before rolling his eyes.

“She asked me to earlier,” he scoffed, running a hand through his spiky hair as he sat there.

“Laxus, what’s going on here?” Master Makarov asked, slowly making his way down the stairs.

He stopped once he was at the bottom, seeing his grandson on his knees. He then ran forward, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

“Laxus, what happened my boy?” Makarov asked again, looking him over head to toe, before turning toward Tegan.

The first thing he noticed was the red, the color coating her hair and matting it together at the back of her scalp. She also had a gash on her forearm, the ice around it since melting due to her state of unconsciousness, and a large bruise covering her stomach. Shockingly, the bruise seemed to cover at least half of her stomach, marring it with an ugly array of blues, purples, and blacks.

“We ran across a few members of Gray Scale’s guild,” Laxus grumbled. “They had a Blood mage of all things.”

Laxus was still pissed because the whole thing had been a setup. What he didn’t understand is why he didn’t realize it in the beginning. As his grandfather had pointed out, it was almost too convenient to have found the token. Now, he knew why.

“That magic is forbidden,” Makarov stated.

“Yes, well this guy didn’t really seem to care,” Laxus replied with a sneer. “He was like a freaking vampire.”

“Reedus!” Makarov called, turning toward the tables to his right.

The large round man stood, his curly orange hair poking out of his hat. He wore a large white shirt for which looked as though it would pop off any moment due to the man’s sheer size.

“Yes, Master?” he asked quietly, twiddling his thumbs as he stood before the tiny man.

“We have no time to dally,” Makarov said. “I need you to take Tegan to Porlyusica as fast as you can,” he told him, placing a small hand on the girl’s forehead.

“Oui, Sir!” Reedus exclaimed, giving him a salute, before taking out his paint brush.

Within moments, he had drawn out a carriage on his large belly, along with a bright pink boar. Both soon came to life outside of the guild hall, the boar squealing up a storm as it was hooked onto the carriage like a horse, ready to pull it along.

“Laxus.”

Laxus looked up at his grandfather, giving him a nod in response as he carefully got back on his feet, pulling Tegan up with him. She was still limp in his arms, her right arm hanging freely as she continued to sleep.

“I’ll come back after I’m done,” he promised, inclining his head for a moment before running back outside with Fairy Tail’s Siren in his hands.

xXx

In the back of her mind, Tegan could almost feel the bumps around her, the movement of land as she lay still in the darkness. Sounds came to her in a muddled mess, everything muffled and incoherent. She couldn’t make out a single thing that was said, but she felt a warmth around her. A blanket perhaps? She was sure that she felt fur.

_Vesilu…_

xXx

_“Vesi! Vesi! Look what I found!” cried a small bundle of fur._

_The child standing before the large dragon was wrapped in a pale creamy pelt, her bright eyes gleaming up at the dragon that she admired so much._

_“What is it child?” Vesilu purred, lowering her head so that her snout rested upon the ground in front of the little girl._

_Smiling, the little girl brought her hands forward, showing off the small blue frog that she had caught. It was a neon blue, it’s back speckled in bright purple spots. At one point, they were known as Nemion frogs. They thrived along the waterside for many centuries, before finally dwindling in numbers. Now a days, it was rare to find one, but the little one in front of her had found the very thing that many others had sought out._

_“Isn’t it pretty?” the little one asked._

_“Indeed, my little one,” Vesi nodded. “Like you, these little ones are far and few between.”_

_When the young girl gave her a curious look, she decided to elaborate, licking her large maw before speaking._

_“These curious little creatures were once known as Nemion Frogs,” she smiled, her fangs showing through. “They are now very rare my dear and hard to come by.”_

_Her voice was soft as she spoke, drawing the girl toward her with her tail._

_“In fact, it is curious that you managed to find one at all,” she admitted. “I for one have not seen a single frog as this in nearly a decade.”_

_“Really?” the young one inquired, her eyes going wide in wonderment._

_The great dragon nodded her head._

_“Can I keep it?” she asked._

_“I’m afraid not little one,” Vesi said sadly, smiling slightly as she pulled the girl even closer. “After all, you would not want me keeping_ you _from living a life of fun and adventure, now would you?”_

_The child stood there for a moment, staring at the dragon as she thought her words over. She was right. It wouldn’t be fair to just keep the little frog to herself. It needed to live its life while it could._

_“You’re right, Vesi,” she smiled, before looking around her and eyeing the pond beside them. “Be free little frog!” she exclaimed, tossing it into the water with a splash._

_Both dragon and human laughed gleefully at this, happy to have set the creature free._

xXx

Again, came the sound of muffled voices. She could almost make out the sounds, but not quite. She thought she heard something about an old bag? What did an old bag have to do with anything? Yelling ensued and she was soon thrown back into the realm of sleep.

xXx

_“Vesi?”_

_“Yes child?” the sea dragon replied, letting out a breath of air as she held the small child to her scaled belly._

_“Do you think there are others like me?” the young siren asked._

_“I’m sure that there are somewhere my dear,” Vesilu told her. “Why do you ask?”_

_The little girl remained silent as she stared up at the sky, gazing at the stars above her head. The clouds had been kind enough to part for them, leaving an open outlet for them to enjoy. It was a common thing that the two shared, the tranquility of the sky. It was an unreachable object when it came to the stars in the night, their light shining down and lighting the paths of all that chose to follow._

_As a child, Tegan always followed the light of the moon, the beautiful orb never leading her a stray. Although, there had been many times where she had become lost, but it had always lit her way to better paths._

_“You are lonely, yes?” Vesi concluded, looking down at the little girl._

_Tegan nodded meekly, hoping that she hadn’t offended her foster mother. After all, that was the last thing that she wanted to do._

_“I just…” Tegan paused, staring down at her hands. “Wish I could play with others,” she whispered._

_“Tegan, my sweet little girl,” Vesi cooed. “One day, you will be among your kind, and you will find a place among them,” she assured her. “One day, you’ll find what you truly seek my dear.”_

_“But no one wants me…” Tegan cried. “Daddy didn’t want me. If Daddy didn’t want me, then who will?” she asked, her little eyes welling up with tears._

_With a sigh, the large dragon drew the child to her chest, cradling her in her large scaly paw._

_“Did I ever tell you of Magnolia’s famous guild?” Vesi asked, staring down at her child._

_“No,” Tegan replied, shaking her head, causing her choppy hair to sway from side to side._

_“Well, then I believe its time that I did.”_

xXx

The dragon’s voice echoed around her, a wave of comfort washing over her battered body. It had been years since she’d seen her mother, but her voice was still fresh in her mind. It was smooth, even though there was a slight roughness to it due to her enormous size. Over all, it was still as if she had heard it every day for the last few years.

_“Come now, sweet siren, you’ve been through worse.”_

_“Vesi?”_

_“It’s time to wake up and face the world young one.”_

xXx

The sound of a groan was the first sign of consciousness, the faint shuffling of sheets following after. Next, came the gasping of breath as the remainder of pain swept over, enveloping the young dragon slayer’s body.

“Mmm…”

Slowly, Tegan opened her eyes, quickly closing them back when the light hit. Having been asleep for so long, the bright light burned at her eyes.

“What happened?” she groaned, reaching up to run a hand through her hair only to meet the thick white bandages that adorned her head.

“I suggest you refrain from touching that!” a voice snapped, making her flinch.

Sadly, she knew that voice all too well. Also sadly, that holder of the voice liked her even less.

“Porlyusica…” she groaned, flopping back down on the bed. “Great.”

xXx

**One hour later**

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” Natsu exclaimed as he was drug out of the home by his ear.

“I told you to stay out!” Porlyusica yelled, glaring daggers at the young dragon slayer.

“Would you let go of my ear!” Natsu exclaimed once more, his head practically on top of his shoulder as Porlyusica continued to pull. “Tegan, help!?” he whined.

Letting out a groan, Tegan glared at her pink haired friend, his yelling causing her ears to ring.

“Tegan!” he cried, earning another groan in response, before she got up.

She wobbled for a moment, placing a hand on her head as she shuffled outside. The first thing that she saw was Porlyusica standing over Natsu, her hands dug in his hair as she pulled at it. Natsu had tears in his eyes as he tried to get away from her.

“Tegan, help me!” he whined.

With a sigh, she stepped forward, shoes in hand. She then grabbed Natus by the scarf, pulling him away from Porlyusica and practically choking him in the process as she walked off, dragging him behind her.

“Bye Grandma!” she called over her should.

“Such brats!” the old woman grumbled, quickly walking back inside of her home and slamming the door shut as she went.

xXx

“Tegan,” Natsu whined, a glum look on his face as she continued to drag him, his butt sliding across the ground. “When are you going to let go?” he asked, Happy, the blue cat flying over head.

“Yeah, Tegan, why won’t you let him go?” Happy asked, swooping down and landing on her head.

Tegan turned her eyes upward at the cute little ball of fur, her eyes softening a bit. She shook her head though, a faint smile adorning her face.

“Nah, I think I’ll drag him back to the guild first,” she chuckled.

In return, Happy sweat dropped, plopping his head down on top of hers in a bored manner. He’d never understand why dragon slayers were so weird at times.

“You know Natsu, you look funny from up here,” Happy snickered.

“Hey!” Natsu growled, leaping up to attack, before Tegan cuffed him in the back of the head.

“No fighting.”

“Hypocrite,” Natsu muttered.

“What did you just say!?” Tegan growled, pulling him up by the front of his shirt so that they were practically nose to nose.

“I called you a hypocrite!” he growled back, pushing against her.

He was pushed back just as hard in return, but kept his ground as he planted his feet.

“Why you little…”

“What? Ya gonna hit me again?” Natsu taunted, sticking out his tongue, and pulling an eyelid down to expose the flesh underneath. “Neh!”

Before he could say anything else, he was hit in the face with a fist, sending him flying back.

“You were saying?” Tegan grinned.

“That’s it! It’s on!” Natsu exclaimed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

They stared each other down for a brief moment, before their fists met one another, fire against water. The force brought forth steam, sending it rising up into the air in spiral columns. The same thing happened every time that they connected, exchanging blows with one another.

“I’m taking you down!” Natsu yelled.

“Go ahead and try!” Tegan goaded, sticking her tongue out much like Natsu had done to her.


	4. Chasing Lullaby!

**Storm Front**

**Chapter 4**

**Chasing Lullaby!**

Sickness. That was the first thing that washed over her, the rickety wheels of the wagon moving along. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you deal with Erza.

“Ugh…” Tegan groaned, the sounds of the train station making her feel even worse as the wagon continued. “Erza,” Tegan whined, tears in her eyes as she tried to free herself of the ropes that tied her down to the wagon.

Early that morning, Erza had come knocking on her door, a look of ‘innocence’ on her face. Next thing she knew, she’d been tied down with the red head’s luggage. The whole way, Erza had explained things to her, figuring that it was the least that she could do since she would likely be zoning out on the train.

“Sorry, I’m late. Have you all been waiting long?” Erza asked, finally coming to a stop.

xXx

Tegan groaned as the ‘ride’ came to a stop, her stomach finally deciding to stop churning. She absolutely detested any form of transportation on wheels. Granted, she could handle it more than Natsu, but she preferred walking or boats. Although, she wasn’t sure who hated transportation more, her or Natsu. The poor rosette had no clue what they were getting into. With that in mind, Tegan knew that it was going to be a _very_ long ride.

“Erza,” Tegan whined, closing her eyes as she drew in a breath. “Would you mind untying me now?” she asked, turning her head to the side in an attempt to get a view of what was going on.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Erza talking to someone, the sound of Natsu and Gray squabbling catching her well trained ears.

“What in the world are they doing here?” Tegan groaned, before finally getting fed up and muttering to herself. “Erza!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized, laughing for a moment. “I almost forgot that you were there.”

“What?”

“Hey, what are you doing here!?” Natsu yelled, pointing his finger in Tegan’s direction as Erza finally untied her.

“I asked her to come,” Erza stated simply, answering before Tegan even had the chance to.

“Asked?” the young dragoness scoffed. “More like forced.”

“Minor details,” Erza replied, before waving it off and turned back to the Celestial Mage that had come to accompany the group.

Narrowing her eyes, Tegan stuck out her tongue, before turning back to the boys. Having forgotten about her, Natsu had gone back to fighting with Gray, their eyes glaring daggers at one another. At times, it seemed as if that was all they knew how to do, punching each other and pulling out hair. It was like children at play time, an inferiority complex taking over whenever they were in one another’s presence, while at the same time battling for the shiny toy that stood out the most in the pile. It was the Alpha mode taking over.

“Hey, Erza,” Natsu started, pumping his fisted as he finally pulled himself away from Gray. “I’ll come with you, but only on one condition.”

“Shut up!” Gray hissed, eyes wide in fear.

“Oh?” Erza questioned, turning to face him. “Well then, let’s hear it.”

At the same time, Tegan was standing there with a look of disbelief. She already knew what was coming, before Natsu even finished his sentence.

“I want a rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail,” he said firmly.

“What’s wrong with you? You have some kind of death wish?” Gray asked.

Tegan had to agree with the Ice Mage. Natsu obviously had a death wish. The idiot had already gotten the crap beat out of him the last time that he tried to face off with Erza. In fact, the fight hadn’t even lasted a full minute, before the flame head had found himself face down on the floor. The She Demon had laid into him without hardly lifting a finger, merely damaging the floor with the slayer’s face, and landing him a bloody nose.

“I’m a lot stronger than I was last time. This time it’ll be way different,” he declared loudly. “Cus I’m gonna beat you!”

“Yes, I can tell you’ve improved. As to whether or not you can beat me, I suppose we’ll have to see.”

She paused then for a moment, a small smirk forming on her face.

“I accept your challenge.”

“Yeah! I’m fired up!”

Flames erupted all around him as passersby gave them strange and wary looks.

xXx

On the train the group sat together, Natsu and Gray on one side, with Lucy and Erza on the other. Tegan had found herself sprawled out in the booth behind her fellow guild mates, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore the slight churning of her stomach. Natsu on the other hand was green, the movement of the train taking over and tormenting his unbalanced body with sickness. It’s what happened every time he rode on a train or took any sort of transportation. The moment the area started moving he would become sicker than a dog, almost paralyzed and unable to move or function within normal parameters.

“I swear, you’re totally pathetic Natsu,” Gray scoffed, his chin placed in the palm of his hand as he stared out the window to his left. “One minute you’re picking a fit, the next you’re like this.”

“It’s gotta be tough on him, getting from place to place,” Lucy mused, one of her celestial spirits sitting comfortably in her lap.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Erza assured her, before turning toward Natsu. “Here, come sit next to me,” she said sweetly, earning a wide-eyed look from Lucy.

Behind them, Tegan grimaced, already knowing what was to come next. As a result, she didn’t envy the fire dragon, keeping to herself as she remained laid out on the seat. In fact, it wasn’t until she heard the sound of Natsu’s silence that she knew Erza had knocked him out, a shiver running down her spine at the inhumanity of it all.

 _“It’s just cruel,”_ Tegan thought to herself.

“Erza, I think it’s about time that you start filling us in,” Gray finally spoke up, turning his attention to the scarlet haired woman in armor.

At that moment, Tegan decided to tune everything out, already having heard the majority of it on her way to the station. Seeing how she’d been tied down to Erza’s little makeshift wagon, the Requip Mage hadn’t anything better to do than inform Fairy Tail’s Siren of the impending danger that they were about ready to face.

Erza had started by sharing the rumors she’d heard from various people on her travels. The rumor of an ancient evil known as Lullaby had come up. It was a demon flute that could kill anyone with the mere sound of its resonating preludes, draining the life away from individuals the moment the afflicting sound met their ears. Said item had been banned by the magic council decades prior as they had seen no use for such things, only than to promote the rising of the shadow guilds themselves. Other such magical items had been banned years ago such as charm rings that would put people to sleep or place illusions around a particular target without the need for any proper conjuring of magical energies. They were mainly things that would help criminals and rouge mages get away with just about anything.

The thought made her shiver. She’d run into a few mages over the years that would eagerly use such an item to their advantage, most for money or lust. It made it too easy to con people when being in possession of items like that. She’d managed a run in with such an item on one of her previous missions. It was one of the few times that she’d gone on a mission with Laxus as an adult.

A small smile tugged at her lips a she thought about the lightning mage. His grandfather, Master Makarov had informed her that he’d carried her all the way back after their last mission. Apparently, he hadn’t stopped once in his return, pushing forward in order to get her much needed medical attention. She had to have been in that bed for at least a week before waking up, no thanks to Natsu’s obnoxious whining. The moment she was back on her feet though, Laxus seemed to have disappeared. She hadn’t even thanked him yet. At the same time, she wondered what happened to that Kafka guy. Had Laxus killed him? Did he get any more information?

“No…” she breathed out, shaking her head.

If Laxus had figured anything else out, he would have told her. That had been their agreement. If she heard anything about Ivan, she’d tell him. If he heard anything about Grey Scale, then she’d been the first to know. That’s just how it was.

“That’s so cool!”

Blinking, the dual haired woman sat up, eyes narrowing slightly at the noise. Gray was beside the new girl, Lucy. They hadn’t exactly been formally introduced, but she knew the blonde to be a Celestial mage, already having a few keys in her possession. Looking closer, Tegan realize that Gray had made something out of ice, the object floating up out of his hand and toward Lucy. It was a replica of their guilds symbol.

“Showing off again?” she asked, arms folded atop the seat.

Gray looked over at her, a grin on his face.

“I’m surprised you’re not passed out my now,” he chuckled, giving her face a once over.

“Well, you know, not as pathetic as Natsu,” she shrugged. “I’ll admit, the train isn’t doing any favors for my stomach though.”

She caught Lucy staring at her, bright blue eyes wide as though finally realizing her presence.

“What kind of magic do you do?” she asked innocently.

“That’s right, we never actually told you, did we?” Erza realized. “She’s one of Fairy Tail’s very own Dragon Slayers,” the Requip mage explained.

“Wait, you’re a dragon slayer?” Lucy asked, leaning forward in her seat, Gray’s sculpture all, but forgotten in her lap.

“Name’s Tegan Veil,” she said, introducing herself. “Fairy Tail’s Water Dragon.”

“You mean, Siren,” Gray pointed out smugly, earning a glare in return.

“Watch it Ice Breath,” she narrowed.

“Siren? Why do that call you that?”

Tegan sighed as she scratched at her head, trying to decide how to approach the Celestial mage with an answer. There were a couple main reasons why she’d been dubbed Fairy Tail’s Siren. Not all reasons were good ones though. The name had originally been given to her as a joked when she’d managed to ‘lure’ an enemy to his death on a boating mission gone wrong. The dark mages had been pirates of sorts. She’d gone under cover, pretending to be a dark wizard herself, merely wanting a life full of pillaging on the sea. The fact that she could tolerate the waves was what managed to keep her cover. Had it been Natsu, it would have fallen apart the second foot had been laid on the boat.

“I’m sure you’ve heard folklore on Sirens,” Erza assumed, watching as Lucy nodded her head. “Tegan is able to manipulate water in a variety of ways, including her physical form. She’s been able to use this to her advantage several times. In fact, it all began with-“

“It just helps get the job done,” Tegan said quickly, cutting the Requip off.

“Well, it sure wasn’t your voice that got you the title,” Gray snickered.

“My voice is perfectly normally you idiot!” she snapped irritably as she narrowed her purple eyes at him. “Say one more word and I’ll drown you here and now Fullbuster,” she threatened, lips twitching as her canines poked through.

The ice mage scrambled back in his seat in fright, hands held defensively in the air. Lucy watched, trembling slightly at the ordeal.

“Why is everyone so scary,” she muttered, sweat rolling down her neck.

“Ew! You’re slimy again!” Happy exclaimed, quickly flying away from between Lucy and Gray.

“I told you its sweat!” the blonde exclaimed.

xXx

Tegan’s head jerked as the train finally came to a stop, the whistle blowing, informing the passengers of their arrived destination.

“Onibas Station!” came the announcement over the intercom.

A breath of air left the young wizard’s lips as she lay on her back, right arm draped over my eyes. It wasn’t until she felt Happy tugging at her hair that she let out a groan, peeling them open groggily.

“What?” she groaned, digging her palm into the space of her eye, rubbing it.

“We’re here! Time to go!” Happy chirped, well, happily.

Her nose scrunched up for a moment as she pushed herself up, yawning. Taking a nap always helped with trips. Standing, she patted her cargo pants, moving to reach the over head. She remembered that she didn’t have anything with her. Erza had snatched her before she could grab anything. Sighing, she tucked her hands in her pockets, making her way off of the train. The blue fuzz ball sat on her shoulder, munching on a fish that he’d apparently picked up earlier.

“When did you get that?” she asked, raising a thin white brow in question.

She’d been messed with so many times over the years due to the odd color of her hair. She’d come to ignore it for the most part though as she grew old. She assumed that there were worse things on her plate to deal with than appearances. She still had Gray Scale to worry about. Actually, she had to worry about that wizard, Kafka. The mere thought of the man sent a shiver down her spin, rubbing her arms as she tried to get the image of his face out of her head. The man was down right disturbed from what she could tell.

“Hey, you okay, Teg?” Gray asked, a frown on his face as he took in her expression.

“Yeah, just thinking,” she assured him, shoving her hands back in her pockets.

If ever had to see the blood mage again, it would be too soon.

“Hey, you think these Eisenwald guys are still gonna be in this town?” Gray asked, turning his question toward Erza this time.

“I have no idea,” Erza admitted. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

Tegan let out a large yawn as she walked, canines flashing momentarily before her mouth closed back. Personally, she would have been just fine staying at home. She could have slept in, have breakfast for lunch, maybe even tracked down Laxus in order to torment him. Even though they were on good terms as ‘friends’, it didn’t mean couldn’t rile him up a bit like he did her every time he saw her. Sometimes it was like how Natsu and Gray were, but a lot more tame. The older mages had less of a habit of tearing apart the guild hall. When they actually decided to spar, they’d take it outside. It was their way to also enjoy the open air and it gave them far more room to experiment. Sparring with him also meant a far more level headed opponent. It was something that she desperately needed in order to improve on her skills.

“I’m still thinking I should go home,” Lucy admitted.

“Why would you wanna do that?” Tegan asked.

A girl like her looked like someone that liked to shop. There were plenty of places around town for that. Granted, she wouldn’t be the one shopping, but that didn’t mean that Lucy wouldn’t be. The mere thought of shopping made her cringe. As a result, she decided to try a different approach.

“Don’t you like our company?”

Lucy was quick to respond, afraid that she’d anger one of the two women walking besides her.

“N-no, i-it’s not that, I-I swear!” she stammered, waving her hands around.

Tegan threw her head back and laughed, a grin on her face. Lucy honestly couldn’t tell the difference on if she was joking or not apparently. She found it hilarious. Wiping tears from her eyes, she patted the blonde on the shoulder.

“We’re good, kid,” she assured her.

“Wait… kid!?” came her indignant reply. “How old do you think I am!”

“15? 16?” Tegan offered with a shrug.

“16,” she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “And what’s with you calling me kid anyway?” she asked. “I mean, you can be any older than me. In fact, you like that you’re the one that’s 15 or 16.”

Tegan let out a sigh at this, narrowing her eyes as Gray snickered to her right.

“It’s because you’re tiny!” he howled, laughing as he pointed at her.

Tegan felt her lip twitched as she stopped walking, a large vein popping out a top her head as she glared daggers at him. It wasn’t her fault that everyone was so much taller than she was. At least she was taller than Levy, the poor girl only topping out at about 4’9”. Tegan was 5’3”. She was exactly an inch shorter than Lucy. Well, she would be if the blonde wasn’t in heels at the moment. The biggest thing that people always pointed out was her height and the size of her boobs. She was small in both aspects. Granted, she didn’t care, but it was the other reason why occasionally she was mistaken for a man. It her shirt was tight enough or she was wearing a sports bra, it flattened it out further, leaving her glaring at idiots that would start questioning her gender. At least she looked like a woman, curves in the right place at her waist and hips, toned legs, and thin frame. Over all, she was actually decent to look at. Whenever she’d put her hair up, Bickslow would send a wolf whistle her way, grinning like a mad man. She’d always roll her eyes, dismissing his advances all together. It made her feel a little better though, know that some one payed attention.

“I’m older than you ass wipe!” she finally threw back, eyes narrowed.

“Wait, you’re older?”

The blonde was shocked, blinking as she looked back and forth between Tegan and Gray. There was no way. She just couldn’t see how this woman, this girl, was older than Gray.

“At least I look my age,” the ice mage goaded, teasing her.

“She’s actually 20. One year older than myself,” Erza revealed.

“Hey, has anyone seen Natsu?”

Everyone stopped, blinking in silence as they looked at Happy. Natsu.

“Don’t tell me he…”

“How could I have been so stupid,” Erza exclaimed.

That confirmed it. Natsu had been left on the train, said train already rolling its way down the track.

“He’s gonna hate us,” Tegan cringed, knowing exactly how he was going to feel.

At her feet, Happy was waving goodbye to him, a small smile on his face.

“I am such a fool! Natsu hates all forms of transporation!”

Tegan sweat dropped as she looked back at Erza. Was she really going to do this, now of all things? After all, its not like she’d cared or shown as much concern when she’d drug the water slayer out earlier that morning, tying her down to the wagon of all things. Sometimes, Tegan wondered if it was for show or if she was just a bigger air head than she let on.

“This is all my fault. I need one of you to hit me for my penance,” she stated.

Okay, so maybe idiot was a better word.

“I’m not doing it,” Tegan shrugged. “Hey, Gray, you got any money for food?”

xXx

Back on the Train

“I can’t believe they left me,” Natsu managed to say, his stomach churning as he pouted.

Even Tegan had left him. She knew how he felt when on the train, knowing that she felt the same way. He still wasn’t sure why it didn’t seem to bother her as much though. She should have been dead on the ground barfing from sickness. Maybe she had a trick. Yeah, that much be it. She had some sort of trick that kept her stomach in place instead of it fumbling all over the place. There was no other explanation for it. Unfortunately though, due to his stomach, he didn’t realize the approaching footsteps. Instead, his head was hung in discomfort.

“Well, looky here. It’s a Fairy Tail wizard.”

Though the voice was smooth, the disgust was still apparent and condescending.

“How’s the guild treatin ya these days?” the man asked, eyes slightly narrowed. “Is it worth stickin around?”

“What?” Natsu asked, shifting as he turned his head up.

The moment his eyes were turned upward though, there was a foot in his face, crushing his head back into the seat.

“Don’t act all high and mighty just because you’re in a legal guild Mister Fairy,” the man bit out, arms cross over his chest as he glowered at the rosette, foot still planted firmly in his face. “You guys who just blindly follow the magic council. You know what you look like to us?” he asked, staring down at Natsu. “Harmless little flies.”

Natsu’s eyes were narrowed, fingers twitching as he drew out his inner magic, heat radiating from his core. He was quick to stand, hands on fire as he stared the creep down, ready to fight.

“I guess I hit a nerve,” the bastard grinned.

“Why you… Eh,” Natsu stopped, flames extinguished as they hit a bump, his stomach leaping into his throat.

He really needed to figure out Tegan’s secret. He wasn’t weak by any means, but he hated transportation. Why was it he had to deal with such a thing anyway. It was so embarrassing some times, unable to go on a mission properly without having to walk all the way just because he couldn’t stomach the movement.

“Haha!”

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man’s laughter, biting his lip as he tried to remain standing.

“What kind of magic is that?” came a scoff, before his demeanor changed. “Let me show you how its done!”

Within seconds, a magically circle appeared beneath the man’s feet. It glowed purple as it gave off an eerie aura. Before Natsu could even raise his hands in defense, he was bombarded by shadows. He was thrown to the ground several feet away, sliding atop the wooden floor of the car onto his back. He grimaced, trying to catch his breath as he propped himself up with his elbow.

“That magic…” he gapped, realizing what it was.

Yes, there was no mistaking it. That magic was dark magic. Black magic. It was forbidden, also meaning that he was either a rogue wizard or part of a dark guild. Why come after him though. Really, what was the point.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the train suddenly came to a screeching halt, tossing the man off his feet, his face meeting the floor with a satisfying crack. Before he hit the ground though, something fell from his shirt, clicking and rolling across the floor boards.

xXx

With the Rest of the Team

“What do you think you’re doing!?”

Erza was stood by a wall, armor incased fingers wrapped around a lever. She’d pulled the emergency lever without permission. Her face was stern and without regret as she stared off with one of the engineers. Tegan, Lucy, Gray, and Happy stood out of the way watching. Lucy stared in disbelief, arms limp at her side. The Requip mage was insane, something she was absolutely positive of now.

“You can’t pull the emergency lever without permission,” the man told her.

“It’s for our comrade. Please understand,” Erza said simply, not batting an eyelash.

She had no qualms in marching up and pulling the lever. She had no qualms about protocol. She merely did what she thought was necessary.

“Are you kidding me?” the man gapped, a drop of sweat hanging at the back of his head in disbelief.

Yep. Erza was insane. Lucy was positive.

“Now, I would like you to take our luggage to the hotel.”

“Do I look like a bell hop?” the man scoffed.               

“I’m starting to figure out that all the wizards in the Fairy Tail guild are just a little insane,” Lucy sighed.

“Not all of us,” Gray said, making Lucy turn toward him.

“Oh yeah, where are your clothes!?” Lucy gapped.

Tegan snickered, shaking her head as she munched on a sandwich, curtesy of Gray’s money. She’d managed to guilt him into giving her some, seeing how she hadn’t been allowed to grab anything before leaving Magnolia. She blamed Erza. She also had a bottle of water in her other hand, draining about half of it, before shoving the bottle into one of her many pockets. She’d have to start permanently keeping a wallet in her pants. Yeah, she was going to buy one for every pair of pants, keep a few jewel in it, and then she’d never have to worry about it again. After all, it’s not like she was really hurting for money. She wasn’t the type to go out and spend it needlessly. Plus, her rent wasn’t that expensive. Granted, she’d been thinking about maybe getting a house, that way she wouldn’t have to deal with running into everyone at the guild every time she stepped into the streets.

“You’re not going to say anything?” Lucy asked, looking at Tegan suspiciously.

The water mage merely shrugged.

“It’s not like I can really change your mind,” she pointed out. “Although, I am a lot more sane than the others here!”

She had a shit eating grin on her face as she said this, a few bits of food sticking to her teeth.

xXx

Tegan pretty much ignored everything that happened after leaving the train station. Erza had threatened her once with copious amounts of pain if she didn’t get inside the magic mobile. Said magic mobile was actually stopped now though, everyone outside. Tegan on the other hand, well, let’s just say she was sprawled across the floor at the moment in the cab. Trains she could handle, the machines running steadily on a track. Boats, she could handle those too, already accustomed to the waves that it met. She’d even been on a magic carpet once and even that didn’t bother her as much. Erza’s driving? Let’s say it left her a wallowing mess. Erza’s driving was sporadic at best. At her worst, it was rollercoaster with in hairpin turns that slammed your face into window, whiplash from hell, and corkscrew mania. Worst day of Tegan’s life. She almost wanted Erza to knock her out like she had done Natsu.

Outside of the magic mobile, the others continued to talk. It had been agreed that Lullaby was bad news, the one that Natsu had faced off with being of the guild Eisenwald. It was the same guild that they were currently after, the ones that planned to use Lullaby in their evil plans. The water mage had once read a book about dark magical objects. That was years ago though when she’d grown bored as a young teen. She’d snuck into the library late one night, picking through books. She couldn’t sleep, which was normal for her. She’d still been getting used to things at Fairy Tail, figuring out her place. Occasionally, Laxus would pick a fight with her. That had been normal too, just like Erza and Mirajane. Unlike the two girls, Tegan and Laxus weren’t exactly rivals. Yes, they were technically opposites, lightning and water. Well, technically, it was a strength versus as weakness. Laxus could have easily fried her whenever he liked, but he never did.

Thinking back to the book, Tegan remembered that the flute was a product of the dark wizard Zeref. He’d transformed the flute from a petty item that could produce low level death magic to one that could commit large scale murder with just a few simple notes. Needless to say, the flute was bad news. Lullaby was an item that produce death magic, something that had been outlawed by the council long ago. It was forbidden on all levels and was highly punishable.

xXx

Kunugi Station

Shouts and screams erupted from the train as it finally came to a stop. People ran, trembling as things were tossed this way and that. A woman was roughly tossed to the ground from her seat, shaking as she crawled backwards, crying out for her husband.

“P-Please, d-don’t hurt me!” she plead, only to be pulled up by the hair.

Tears leaked from her eyes blurring her vision. There were men climbing onto the train, tossing people out. She’d never seen them before, but she knew that they were dark wizards. Not all of their guild marks matched though. It seemed as though there were a few stragglers from another guild or two.

“Toss ‘em all off!” a voice shouted. “We can’t waste any time.”

The man in front of her smirk, pulling her close to his face.

“Too bad, looks like it’s your lucky day.”

His breath was rancid, luckily the stench was short lived. Unfortunately, she found herself being tossed out a window and to the ground outside. Another man ran toward her, quickly pulling her from the ground.

“It’ll be alright, Ma’am,” he told her, pulling her clear of the vandals.

xXx

“I…I’m gonna puke…”

Lucy grimaced as she tried scooting away from the water mage, cringing as the woman’s face nearly went as blue as the underside of her hair. Natsu wasn’t looking much better, the two dragon slayers holding tight to one another for support. They nearly barfed when the machine landed onto a lower road, sending Tegan flying into the glass in front of them. They could hear Gray yelling from atop the machine, telling the crazy red head to slow down. Tegan had tried to convince him to come inside, but he wouldn’t hear it. The moron had a death wish.

“Just kill me now,” Natsu cried weakly, tears falling as he held Tegan in a bone crushing hug.

Lucy sweat dropped though when she realized his face was buried in the dual haired woman’s boobs. What little there was anyway. The woman didn’t seem to care though as her head bobbed around uselessly. She looked like a rag doll at the moment, Natsu’s arms being the only thing keeping her up right. The blonde actually felt sorry for her, realizing how much worse she was this time around. Erza was absolutely erratic in her driving at the moment. It was killing Tegan.


	5. Erigor the Reaper

**Storm Front**

**Chapter 5**

**Erigor the Reaper**

**-Oshibana Station-**

Smoke rose from above the center of the station, a crowd surrounding the main entrance. People were being pushed back as they chattered with one another.

“What the heck is going on?” one man asked, eyeing the station carefully.

They normally never had any problems so it was odd to have the area closed off. In fact, he’d been hoping to catch a ride back to Hargeon to see his family. Now, it seemed like that trip would be delayed. He’d have to call them later and tell them.

“Please, stand back!” came a voice through one of the megaphones. “This station is currently closed due to a train derailment!”

“Derailment?” a woman gapped. “How did that happen?”

“Derailment? Seriously?”

“I heard the station has been taken over by a group of thugs,” someone said, moving around to get a better look.

“We ask that you please stand back!” one of the men in charge said.

The poor guy nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder, coming face to face with a red haired woman.

“Excuse me, what’s going on!” she demanded.

“Why would I tell you lady?” he nearly scoffed, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He wasn’t supposed to divulge such information to civilians. No, they were better off not knowing. This was for the government to deal with, not some random woman. He was quickly silence though with a punch to the face, falling over backwards, back arched. Steam trailed off of him as he twitched on the ground. The man next to them stared at her wide eyed in disbelief, cringing as the woman stepped toward him.

“What going on!?” she demanded again, hands on her hips.

The man went stiff as a board, all color draining from his face, before she head butted him.

From behind the crowd, a blonde woman stood, carrying a pink haired man. Beside her was another man with dark blue, almost black hair. He was dressed in a long white coat with blue trim. He was carrying a young woman in his arm, her face pressed against his chest, hair hiding her eyes. She still looked at little pale, but not nearly as back as the rosette.

“Seems like her questioning method is a little counterproductive,” the blonde pointed out in exasperation, a somewhat blank look on her face.

“Erza has her own way of getting things done,” the other said almost hesitantly as he watched.

Looking over, Lucy’s eyes widened, nearly popping out of their sockets.

“Where are your clothes!?” she exclaimed, nearly blushing as Tegan’s face was now pressed into Gray’s bare chest.

For a moment, it looked like the water mage was asleep, her breath coming out in small puffs. In reality, Tegan wasn’t far from it, Gray’s arms holding her close. After being in the magic mobile for so long, her nerves were exhausted. The two were actually surprised that she hadn’t puked. Natsu had given in when the car had stopped, retching all over the ground at poor Lucy’s feet.

Erza stepped toward the four, a look of determination on her face. All the ‘guards’ were on the ground, the men looking dead after being headbutted by the crazy mage. Lucy and Gray actually felt sorry for the poor guys.

“The Eisenwald guild is inside,” she announced, hand on her hip. “Let’s go!”

“Right,” Gray nodded.

“So I’ve gotta drag this one around?” Lucy whined, shifting the flame head’s weight.

“Sorry…” Natsu gasped, groaning as his tummy still continued to church.

xXx

Finally inside, the group ran down the corridor. Lucy had Natsu on her back, blowing a piece of hair out of her face as she tried to keep up with the other two. Happy was merely flying overhead, wings flapping.

“A small army unit stormed in earlier, but they’ve yet to return,” Erza informed her comrades. “I’m guessing they’ve been caught in battle with the Eisenwald forces.

Drawing closer, their running came to a stop, terror filling Lucy’s face. Before them lay the army, men tossed about the stairs to the upper level, weapons broken. A few were missing their helmet, blood trickling down. They’d all been severely injured or killed. It was hard to say which for some.

“They’ve been completely wiped out!” Happy exclaimed fearfully.

Natsu was still unresponsive, head hung atop Lucy’s shoulder. Tegan on the other hand, well, let’s just say she finally asleep. Her breath had finally evened out the rest of the way, arm hanging limply as Gray held onto her. It wasn’t the first time that he’d had to carry her, but he couldn’t remember the last time that the sickness had been as bad as today. No, she normally had a pretty good grasp on it. Then again, it was Erza we’re talking about.

“They were up against an entire guild of wizards,” she breathed out. “A small army unit like this never stood a chance.”

There was a hint of pity in her voice as she spoke, a frown on her face. One way or another, she would rid the people of these wizards.

Once they arrived in the center of the station, they were met with an expected sight. Dozens of men stood before them. One man in particular was sat atop the train itself, lounging as it were.

“Welcome!” he called out, his voice sharp and resonating. “Step into our parlor, Fairy Tail flies.”

His words came out like a sneer, condescending and dripping with hate. It sent a shiver through the Celestial mage as the wizards in front of her laughed.

“There’s so many of them,” she gapped, eyes wide.

She was now realizing just how many there were, the members of Eisenwald completely filling the boarding ramp. There had to be at least 50 to 100 of them, maybe more.

“You fiend. I take it you’re Erigor!?” Erza narrowed, lip upturned slightly in a snarl.

The man in front of them was covered in a large dark blue tattoo, lines twisting across his bare chest and abdomen. It rose around his shoulders and arm. He even had a set beneath his eyes, making him look even creepier. His silver while hair was upturned in the back and along the sides, a thicker section hanging down along the left side of his face. There was also a reaper blade in his hands, the weapon casting a shadow over his dark and tattered cloak.

Dropping Natsu to the ground, Lucy tried shaking him, drool dribbling from his mouth. He looked like he was half way unconscious.

“Come on, Natsu, we need your help,” Lucy cried, shaking him roughly by the shoulders.

Happy watched as his head bobbed back and forth like a doll’s, faint noises escaping him.

“Good luck with that,” Happy said, letting out a sigh as he looked down at his companion, poking his face with his tail. “First was the train, then the magic mobile, now you. It’s a motion sickness triple combo!” Happy pointed out.

“I’m not a vehicle!” Lucy exclaimed in irritation.

“Hey, Teg, you alive?” Gray asked, tilting his head to the side as he poked her cheek.

She let out a small whine, frowning as she curled against him.

“Is Erza done driving?” she asked weakly.

“I thought she was asleep!” Lucy exclaimed.

“Yeah, the ride’s over,” Gray nodded, ignoring Lucy’s words.

Groaning, Tegan wrapped her arms around Gray’s neck, allowing him to place her feet down on the ground. She still held on though, quietly getting her barings.

“We’re not threatened by any of you!” Erza exclaimed, standing strong as she squared her shoulders. “Now, tell me what you’re planning to do with Lullaby!?” she demanded.

“You mean to tell me you haven’t heard yet?” Erigor chuckled, before propelling himself into the air.

The group stood shocked, watching as he floated high above them. He was a Wind mage.

“H-he flew!” Lucy stammered, stepping forward slightly.

“It’s wind magic,” Happy said with a slight tremble.

“What do all train stations have?” the man asked, posing a riddle of sorts.

It wasn’t much of a riddle though as he landed atop the speakers in the middle of the station, feet seated atop the large green lacrima at its center. Erza’s eyes went wide as she pieced things together.

“You plan to broadcast it!?”

Erigor laugh, his scythe laid across his shoulders, the metal reflecting back at them due to the light coming in behind him.

“Thousands of nosy onlookers have flocked to this station to get a glimpse of the action,” he spoke, staring down at them. “Who knows, if I raise the volume enough, I may be able to extinguish the entire city with my melody of death!”

“What reason do you have to commit such a heinous crime against the innocent people of this town!?” Erza cried out, her temper flaring.

Erigor seemed unfazed by her rant though, the smug look on his face never wavering. His voice was starting to grate on Tegan’s already frazzled nerves though, fingers twitching at the back of Gray’s neck. In response, the ice mage looked down at her, a frown on his face.

“This is a cleansing of all the fools out there that fail to appreciate the rights that they hold so dear. Who remain willfully ignorant to the plight of those that have had their rights stripped away.”

Yes, he voice was really starting to grate on her nerves. Why did his lips have to keep moving anyway. Couldn’t he just shut up and be quiet?

“They’ve committed the sin of turning a blind eye to the world’s injustice.”

Her fingers continued to twitch, Gray’s hands moving to the water mage’s shoulders. For a moment, her movement stilled. Just for a moment.

“Therefore… the reaper has come to punish them!”

Tegan’s back went stiff, nails now digging into the fabric of Gray’s coat. It was the only thing that protected his neck from the pinching pain of her claws.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

His question went unanswered though as Lucy’s voice broke through. It left Tegan pulling away, eyes shielded by her hair, her lower lip clamped between her teeth. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.

“That won’t help you get your rights back!” Lucy exclaimed, hands on her hips. “That’s only gonna make it worse. That’s the whole reason you were kicked out of your wizard league in the first place!”

“At this point, we’ve given up trying to regain our rights,” Erigor said, raising his left hand in front of him. “We want power! Then we will be able to wash away the sins of the past and take control of what happens in the future.”

His hand curled into a fist, the leather of the glove pinching at his skin. His words only fueling Lucy’s anger further along with Tegan’s odd discomfort. She couldn’t believe them. They were nuts, absolutely nuts!

“You guys are completely insane!” the blonde yelled.

“We’re rolling in a new age of darkness,” one of the men barked out.

He was on his knees, his dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail. The grin on his face was creepy, beady eyes staring back at them.

“Of course… by the time it gets here, you flies will be long gone!”

They watched as a magic circle appeared beneath him, purple light reaching up. Shadows shot forward, racing across the floor before flying into the air. Lucy realized too later they’d been directed at her, her eyes going wide in fear. She bit back a scream, before they were suddenly shattered by a wall of flame. Natsu stood before her proudly, striking a pose at his victory.

“You again!?” the man gapped.

“Eisenwald dude,” Natsu greeted, a grin on his face. “I knew I recognized that voice.”

Lucy was nearly fawning over him, looking him up and down as she realized he was fully on his feet again. The color had returned to his face and his eyes were brighter. He suddenly looked good as new.

“You’re all better!” she exclaimed happily.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a party here,” he commented, looking the rather large group over.

He could feel the excitement bubbling up inside him, canines exposing at the enormity of his grin. He was trying to decide who he wanted to fight first. Would it be the fat guy in the back? Maybe the scrawny guy to the right that looked like a stick with sunglasses on? Or perhaps the weirdo with the big pointy ears? The guy with the giant cowlick? No, he’d have to take care of the guy from the train first. Yeah, that’s what he’d do. He’d have the rest of his fun afterwards.

“No, Natsu, these are the guys we have to fight!” Lucy pointed out.

The fire mage just grinned, punching his left hand into the palm of his right.

“Like I said…it’s a party!” he said pointedly, eyes narrowed at the idiot that had attacked him on the train.

“This is the strongest team Fairy Tail has to offer!” Lucy announced. “You better be ready!”

“I leave them to you. Show them the terror of the dark guild Eisenwald!” he growled out, floating back up into the air one last time, before completely disappearing.

Lucy and Happy were in shock as they saw this, mouths hanging open so wide that they could catch flies.

“He disappeared!” the cried out in unison.

“Natsu. Gray.”

Hearing their names, the two stepped forward.

“Go!” Erza ordered, her eyes still trained on the enemy in front of her. “I need you to stop him.”

The guys turned their heads toward her after a pause, blinking.

“If the two of you work together, not ever Erigor the Reaper can defeat you. I’m leaving him in your hands.”

In seconds, Gray and Natsu were butting heads again, glaring at one another at the mere mention of working together. Didn’t she realize, fire and ice didn’t mix? Lightning and water didn’t mix either, but at least those two could work together just a bit easier than the formerly mentioned pair.

“What did I say!?” Erza snapped, eyes set in a scary glare as she turned around to face the two idiots.

“Aye!” the two cried out in unison, quickly disappearing as they kicked up a large pile of dust.

The rest of the group merely watched them go, fighting back an eye roll or head shake. The two were ridiculous. Still, that left a large number of men in front of them, the mob crying out at the duo went to find Erigor. Two of their stronger members went to follow the Fairy Tail boys, leaving the rest behind for the women to deal with.

“We’ll catch up with them once we’ve finished off the rest of the men here, okay?” Erza said, staring off into the direction that their comrades had run off to.

“Two girls against an entire magical guild?” Lucy gapped, eyes wide.

She’d completely forgotten about including Tegan in her statement, said mage coming to stand beside her as she gulped down a swig of her water from earlier, depositing her bottle back in her pant pocket.

“Don’t start counting me out yet kid,” she said, licking her lips as she snapped her fingers.

Lucy watched in shock as a magic circle appeared in the palm of her hand, the other hand following suit. She’d seen Natsu’s magic before, but she’d yet to see Tegan’s. The witnessing of her magic was a mystery to her. Still, the lude comments the men before them were making wasn’t helping the blonde’s nerves. It didn’t seem to bother Tegan though said dragon stepped forward, discreetly giving Erza a short moments rest. A particular indecent comment about Fairy Tail had Erza’s nerves twitching though, quickly summoning her first sword.

“Alright, boys, who wants to play first?” Tegan grinned smugly.

“You’re in for it now girly!” a man cried out, running forward and swiping at her with a staff.

The weapon was quickly deflected, her hands seizing it after a swift kick to the man’s gut. She grinned as she twisted the weapon around, eyes narrowing slightly. The weapon was soon incased in water, the liquid swirling around the metal rod as the place where her hands sat turned to ice for a better grip.

“Oh yeah, I’m gonna have fun with this,” she grinned, blocking another hit before attacking back.

Lucy watched as Erza joined in, taking on the outer section of the guild. She stood there gapping as she watched, eyes darting back and forth between Tegan and Erza. Both were switch and agile. Erza’s hits took on a more offensive stance, while Tegan’s were more defensive. That didn’t mean she was lacking in offense though, but she was balancing it out, taunting them almost.

“What kind of magic is that?” she asked, looking at the weapon she was currently using.

“Well, as you know, she’s a dragon slayer,” Happy pointed out, tail swishing back and forth.

“No duh,” she scoffed, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Tegan has an affinity for water and its properties,” he explained, continuing when he saw the look of confusion on the blonde’s face. “She doesn’t just use Slayer magic, but water magic as a whole. As a result, she can also control its temperature, hence the ice.”

“Well, I guess that explains it a bit better,” she muttered, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

“The water is actually an extension of her body, something that she can control at will. It’s what makes her so dangerous.”

“How can water be dangerous?” she asked skeptically, folding her arms under her chest. “It can only kill you if you drown in it.”

“Yeah, see, that’s the thing,” Happy chuckled, a toothy grin on his face. “If she wanted to, she could drown you in your own body fluid. She could even use the very blood in your veins and stop your heart.”

Lucy’s eyes went wide in fear, stepping away from the cat as he grinned maniacally.

“Isn’t it cool?” he asked.

“More like terrifying!”

Turning back the fight, she caught sight of how many men were on the ground, bruised and beaten. She watched as Tegan threw another man to the ground, dodging another, before pressing her hand into ones face. His eyes went wide as his nose and mouth were filled with water, stopping his movements. She sent him flying with a hit to the back, leaving him immobilized on the ground, but still breathing after coughing up water.

A shiver ran down Lucy’s spine.

“Creepy…” she muttered.

She turned back to watch Erza, watching as the mage’s weapon disappeared to be replaced by another. It had come out of no where, but like her original sword. The spear she now held was quickly used to dispatch her enemies, leaving them sprawled out on the floor. Happy soon explained her magic as well, leaving her standing in awe. She used what was called Requip magic. Weapons were stored in another dimension, being accessed whenever needed. It was awesome. Feeling her blood pumping through her veins, she felt that it was her turn to help.  With a grin on her face, she pulled a gate key from its ring, bringing it forward.

“Open, Gate of the Giant Crab!” she called out, slicing at the air. “Cancer!”

A magic circle appeared in front of her, spinning in a beautiful blue and white light. A stream of yellow sprung forth from it with the ring of a bell. Scissors popped out first, then the spirit, the man standing tall as he snipped at the air. From the back, his hair was braided in sections, what looked almost like clawed antenna seated upon his head. Six long crab like legs protruded from his back, shockingly not leaving any holes in his blue, blacking striped shirt.

“Da, da, da, da, dah, dah, Cancer!” he exclaimed. “You need me to fight these dudes, baby?” he asked, coming to stand in front of Lucy, his glasses gleaming in the light.

“Take em out in style,” Lucy nodded.

Ready for a fight, the men charged, swords and other weapons at the ready.

“It’s never seen such a stupid hairstyle!” one called out, the comments causing the spirits brow to twitch.

That was definitely the wrong thing to say to Cancer. No one insulted his hair and got away with it. With that in mind, he leapt forward, determination filling him as he snipped at everything he could. Weapons were cut into piece like butter, sliding to the ground, chunks of hair following after. Once he was done, he admired his work with a cruel smirk as the men stood in shock. They were all…bald. Their vanity soon sent them to the ground.

“Not bad,” Erza nodded, glancing over her shoulder. “That was impressive.”

She honestly hadn’t expected such a thing from Lucy, but she had to commend her for her diligent effort.

“Thanks, but it was no big deal,” came her humble reply.

On the inside, she was bubbling with barely contained joy.

“I totally scored points with Erza!” she nearly screamed.

“That’s what you were going for!?” Happy exclaimed in disbelief.

Unfortunately, Erza cut her celebration short.

“However… This crab spirit of yours,” she drew out, glaring at the men in front of her, her massive axe in hand. “The way he calls you baby. I find it rather insulting.”

Lucy’s ego deflated in that very moment, her confidence crumbling.

“Points unscored,” she nearly cried, holding Cancer close.

“Whoa… um, Ma’am,” he shivered, scissors snipping.

With that, Erza had had enough, deciding to finish things off. She was growing bored with these men and wanted to end it.

“This is annoying,” the Requip mage sighed, relinquishing her axe. “Perhaps I’ll just take care of them all at once.”

xXx

Rivals ran together down a hall. Fire and ice. They were pushing themselves as they tried to keep up with one another.

“Making us work together. What was she thinking!” Gray grunted out, panting.

“Obviously, she wasn’t,” Natsu said pointedly. “Everyone knows that fire and ice don’t mix.”

“Yeah, why does she always have to be so bossy?”

Each of them were slowly getting worked up as they complained about Erza, easily agreeing with one another without truly realizing it.

“She should ask us to do stuff instead of ordering us around!”

“I don’t need your help! I can handle Erigor all by myself!” they cried out in unison, teeth bared as they were now head to head with one another, noses practically touching. “Are you copying me!?”

Suddenly, they stopped, realizing that they were at the end of the hallway. In front of them, it split in two directions. The left went to the old line. The right went to the new line. Frustrations now doused, they stood there, debating what to do.

“Which way should we go?” Natsu asked, scratching his head as he glanced at Gray.

“I guess we’ll have to split up,” the ice mage said with a shrug.

As they came to stand at the split, each faced a side. They were quiet, backs to one another as they stood there. This is where they would split ways in search for the reaper.

“Natsu,” Gray paused for a moment. “We’re up against a deadly freak that’s about to unleash a deadly spell.”

Gray turned toward Natsu then, before finishing with, “If you find him, give him a thrashing.”

“You don’t have ta worry about that. I’ve got a bone to pick with that jerk for messin with Fairy Tail,” Natsu said pointedly, pumping his fist in the air. “I’m gonna burn him to a crisp!”

They smiled, then turn their backs on one another.

“Don’t die on me,” Gray said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Nothin. Later loser!”


	6. Virgo!

**Storm Front**

**Chapter 6**

**Virgo!**

By the time Gray had made his way back from his fight with one of Eisenwald’s guys, the rest of the dark guild was already tied up, minus a couple here and there. He’d found Erza attempting to interrogate one of the men, the guy already unconscious from being brutally shaken. It was actually a scary sight if he was honest with himself. He was a little put off though when he realized that Tegan was nowhere to be seen, but still told Erza of Erigor’s plan. His real target was Clover, there in, the guild masters conference. Erigor planned to use the flute to kill the guild masters. This was also something that Erza didn’t take to well, shaking another man brutally as she yelled at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“Shaking him won’t do you any good,” came a voice, both mages turning toward one of the hallways.

Tegan came before them, a preoccupied look on her face. In her hand were a few spheres of water, the liquid floating in her hand as it rotated, while her other held one to her ear. They both wondered what she was doing, but knew not to question her at the moment. She was trying to concentrate, the shape of the water fluctuating as she tried to keep a hold of it, her mind sorting through multiple things at once. It didn’t help because it was still a rather new spell that she’d come up with, something that still had quite a few kinks to work out.

“Erigor is gone, but two of his lackeys are still on the loose,” she explained. “And we’re stuck here.”

“Still?” Gray asked, frowning deeply. “But I already got rid of one. Wait, how do you even know that?”

“As I said, there are still two,” she said, her gaze coming to rest upon him momentarily.

Her words didn’t really give much room for discussion. It did however leave Gray wondering who else they were missing then, a smirk forming on his face as he stepped toward the man Erza had been shaking, ice freezing up around his hand.

“Tell me, where’s he hiding!?” Gray exclaimed. “If you can’t tell me, I’ll freeze you solid like your little mummy buddy,” he said pointedly, narrowing his eyes.

The man cringed, but didn’t say anything, his lips sealed tight.

“I said, tell me!” Gray yelled, grabbing him up by the collar of his shirt.

The man shrieked in returned, Erza and Tegan looming over Gray’s shoulder creepily, eyes gleaming. Unfortunately, all it did was make the guy faint, the group letting out a groan.

“Well, damn,” Tegan sighed, scratching the back of her head. “That failed miserably.”

An explosion was heard above them moments later, a drop of sweat appearing on each of their foreheads as they groaned. At least they knew where Natsu was, the sound continuing to irritate their ears, bits of the ceiling coming loose.

“That idiot!” Tegan hissed. “He’ll bring down the whole damn building at this rate!”

“Well, he _is_ a hot head,” Gray pointed out, only to receive a glare in return from one water mage.

“Try again Captain Obvious, maybe you’ll get a little closer,” she sneered.

She wasn’t deliberately trying to be mean, but she was already irritated by the day’s results. First, Erza had kidnapped her and tied her down. Next, she’d been dragged onto a bloody train. Then, she’d been shoved into a damn magic mobile with a freaking demented speed demon driving it. After, she’d ended up here of all places, dealing with idiots. Finally, she found out that said idiots were looking to attack the guild masters.

Turning her back on her companions, Tegan made her way back down the hallway to find Natsu, her fingers twitching slightly. The Salamander really was a hot head by nature. It was something that she hoped with age he would grow out of. Then again, she’d been saying that for the last 7 years as he tailed behind her most times.

“After this, I’m taking one long ass vacation,” she told herself. “From all of them.”

xXx

**Clover**

In the town of Clover, it was easy to find the building where the guild master’s conference was held. Inside said building was a bustling of chatter and laughter. Well, for most that is. The guild master of Fairy Tail, Makarov Dreyar, was pacing as he tried not to pull at his hair. His mind couldn’t stop thinking as he mulled over one Mirajane Strauss’s words. Erza, Natsu, and Gray were all together on a mission. Some of the most destructive mages that Fairy Tail had. The only ones missing from that little group were one Tegan Veil and his grandson, Laxus. Put those two together on a serious level of power and they could easily level a city. Put the other three together, just kiss your ass goodbye. He cringed at the mere thought of all five of them together. Fiore itself might be demolished and brought to ash itself.

“Why do I have to have such destructive children!?” he cried, tears rolling down his face.

“Oh, cheer up Macky, I’m sure it’s not so bad,” Bob, the master of Blue Pegasus said, the flamboyant man giving his friend a pat on the back.

“How many mages do you have that can level an entire building in one go!?” Makarov shouted.

Bob tapped his finger against his chin, thinking for a moment.

“Hmm, can’t say that I have any,” the master of Blue Pegasus admitted. “What about you, Goldmine?” he asked, turning to the master of Quatro Cerberus.

“Nope,” he said with a shrug. “How many young wiper snappers do you have like that anyway?” the spikey collared man asked curiously, taking a bite of his shish kabob.

“Five,” Makarov replied.

Immediately, Goldmine chocked on his food, covering his mouth as he coughed. He beat his other hand against his chest.

“Are you serious!?” he exclaimed.

“Actually, I take that back, Mira probably could too,” Makarov said with a shrug. “She’s far more level-headed. Actually, Tegan and Laxus aren’t too bad either as long as they’re not overly provoked,” he admitted, pulling a photo from his pocket.

It was a photo he’d managed to take at the last Fantasia festival. Contained in the small rectangular piece of paper was the image of his grandson, Tegan gripping his arm happily as she pointed at something, a hint of red in his cheeks as they both held smiles on their faces. Despite how things seemed between the two within the guild hall, they were actually close friends. Perhaps not as close as Levy and Tegan were, but they were still close on a different sort of level. Levy and Tegan were more like sisters. Laxus and Tegan, well, Makarov wasn’t sure what to make of the two.

Makarov had realized this a few years ago, after the two had finally stopped their squabbling with one another. More so Laxus picking at her. She’d never had the heart to truly hurt him though, defending him when they’d gone on a particularly dangerous mission. Until about four years ago, Laxus was still struggling with getting in sync with his slayer magic. Tegan, in a moment of his weakness, had stayed by his side and defended him. The two of them had come home rather bruised, but still in one piece. That was when he truly realized how high a regard they held each other in, despite all the teasing remarks. At the age of 23, Laxus was now fully in control, his body having stopped growing after finally reaching adulthood. He surmised it had to do with the blasted lacrima in his body, silently cursing his son.

“Oh, my,” Bob purred, hovering over Makarov’s shoulder. “Such a cute couple, Macky. You must be proud. He’s such a handsome devil.”

“What!?” he gapped.

“Tell me, are you expecting great-grandchildren anytime soon?” the man asked innocently.

Great-grandchildren? Makarov paled at the thought. He already had ‘children’ in the guild. He nearly trembled at the idea of Laxus and Tegan having children. It’d be an all-new type of slayer. They’d be destructive.

“My guild,” he nearly cried.

“She is a looker,” Goldmine said, having snatched the photo from Makarov’s hand. “How’s she doing with her other magics by the way?”

As Goldmine asked this, he was taking in the young woman’s visible features. She’d changed a lot over the years, morphing from a slightly awkward teenager to a blooming adult. She wasn’t large chested like most female mages seemed to be, but that wasn’t what caught his attention whenever he saw her. It had always been her hair. He rarely saw someone with two-toned hair such as hers and he had to admit, it was beautiful. Paired with her eyes, she was easily labeled as a woman with natural beauty. Although, Bob had commented multiple times over the years about her attire, saying that she needed an upgrade to her wardrobe. The winged man had even offered to come to the guild and take the young girl shopping, something that he realized Makarov had likely debated on just to torment the poor woman.

“Well?” Goldmine said, looking down at the small man, the photo still in his hand as he continued quietly analyzing it.

Hearing the question, Makarov snapped out of it. Other magics. Yes, Tegan had wanted to train in a couple of other things as of last year. She’d been interested in mixing different techniques, working more on some of her defensive abilities. True, she was a water user which held great advantages on the field. Even more so since she was a Dragon Slayer, but she knew that there were certain areas that she had to work on. Her speed was one of them, something that she’d realized on her last mission with Laxus, the same one that Makarov had pushed her into.

He still felt bad about that, after seeing Laxus carry her into the hall. They’d been surprised and ambushed. They’d fought dark magic, something that Makarov downright detested. Blood magic especially. The magic itself was beyond dangerous. In fact, that kind of magic was illegal to use. Still, it didn’t stop mages from using it, something that Tegan unfortunately found out rather personally.

“She’s still working on it,” Makarov said.

Something else she was working on was her ice magic. She had a certain affinity for it, much like the water she used. Occasionally, she would train with Gray, using a few things that she picked up here and there. It was rather easy for her, but it still took a certain level of practice to perfect it when tweaking previously used spells.

One of her favorite spells seemed to be her water body though. Granted, it was also the most finicky and could get away from her in a larger body of water if not careful. In a controlled setting though, it was one of her more useful skills. It allowed her to come and go as she pleased, easily sneaking up upon enemies or sneaking up on some of her companions for a decent scare. He’d been witness to this before when she’d come into his office, wanting to get away from the crowd of the guild without being noticed. She’d nearly given him a heart attack when she’d appeared in front of him. She was also looking into making what she called a Mist Body, something that he had yet to see, but was rather interested in.

Any of her other spells though, he was mostly unaware of. Certain things she liked to keep to herself about or occasionally talk to Laxus about. Together, the two young adults were far too sneaky. That’s what scared him the most. Although, he had to admit, Tegan did help to dull some of the arrogance he was afraid Laxus would come to attain over the years. It was far more tolerable than what it could have been if it hadn’t been nipped in the butt as teens due to Tegan’s strange charm.

“Unfortunately, she had a run in with a Blood mage a while back,” he revealed, catching his friends off guard.

“Blood mage?” Goldmine gapped. “I wasn’t aware there were any left.”

“Yes, well, he’s employed by…” Makarov glanced around the room for a moment as he inched closer, lowering his voice so that some of the others wouldn’t hear him. “Gray Scale,” he whispered, only loud enough for Goldmine and Bob to hear.

Both wizards grew quiet. They knew of Gray Scale. Over the years, they’d managed to keep one another in the loop, updating when need be about certain dark guilds. Each wizard wanted to keep their guild safe, deciding on this open exchange of information.

“I see,” Goldmine nodded solemnly. “How’s she holding up then?”

Bob and Goldmine looked at him expectantly.

“Well, she took quite a beating,” he admitted. “Scared me half to death too.”

He was quiet then, drawing in a breath.

“She’s good as new though!” he exclaimed. “No one can keep my girl down, no one!”

Goldmine sweatdropped, Bob, clapping his hands. He reminded himself how much pride his friend took in his ‘children’, doting on them heavily when the opportunity presented itself. The man definitely loved to brag in his old age.

xXx

The wind nearly howled as it twisted violently around the train station, churning as it tore at anything within a quarter mile of its reach. That’s how everyone’s stomach felt as they stood there, trying to figure a way out of this mess. From what they’d learned, there was no charging through it, something that Natsu hadn’t quite given up on yet. Instead, the rosette continued to launch himself at the wind barrier, each and every attack bouncing off and sending him hurtling back toward the unforgiving ground.

Gray’s voice boomed as he yelled at him, calling for him to stop. Natsu was too wound up though, hell-bent on getting through. For Natsu, it wasn’t an option. He had to get through. He had to stop Erigor. He had to save Makarov.

Tegan, on the other hand, was silent, her small figure standing out of the way against the wall. She’d distanced herself from the others to a degree, the scene from earlier still playing in her head. For a moment, she’d been reminded of her unfortunate time in Gray Scale. She was reminded of its ruthlessness and its disregard for life. She was reminded of _him_ ripping a man’s heart out in a fit of rage due to the man’s inability to get a particular job done. It made Tegan cringe, her hand covering her face as she tried to calm her nerves. It had been years since she’d seen something like that and it had shaken something inside of her. It had shaken her to the core. She never wanted to see _him_ again.

“Damnit, Natsu, stop it!” Gray yelled.

“No! I have to get through!” Natsu exclaimed, sending another flaming fist at the wind barrier. “I have to save Makarov!”

Once more, he was sent flying back, landing at Tegan’s feet this time as he twitched. He laid there for a moment, muscles spasming, before turning his gaze upwards. A pair of purple eyes glared down at him, but only briefly.

“Oh, hey Teg, didn’t see you there!”

Said water mage merely stared at him blankly, the word ‘idiot’ flooding her mind.

“Well, back to w-Gah!” he was cut off with a screech at the boot that was suddenly being buried into his skull, Lucy and Gray flinching away from the two.

“Natsu!” Tegan growled out in irritation.

“Yes?” he managed to croak, making tiny pathetic noises as she continued to dig the heel of her shoe into his skull.

“You were told to stop. Now, stop before you tear your arm off!” she growled out, lip twitching as she glared down at him, canines showing.

He went to argue, crying out again when she applied more pressure. She wasn’t letting up, her anger boiling over as she stood there. She wasn’t just angry at the situation, but at herself as well. Her time in Gray Scale should have prepared her for something like this. Not to mention, she should have known that the train station was just a distraction. She was better than this, she knew that, and it bothered her.

With another growl of irritation, she released her foot, walking off toward the barrier herself this time. Her eyes were set in a glare, her hands clenched tightly at her sides as she stared outward at the swirling tendrils of air.

“Teg?” Gray called out, taking a step forward.

There were so many things she was still trying to work out in her head.

“Don’t,” she said quietly, stopping him before he got any closer.

Her words weren’t hard enough to make him flinch, but he stayed back. She could be scary when she wanted to be.

“AHH!” everyone flinched at the sound of Natsu’s voice.

This time, it wasn’t due to the water mage digging her heel into him. Instead, it was of his own volition, his hands raised in the air dramatically.

“That’s it!” he cried again, quickly turning toward Lucy.

He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her, a grin plastered on his face.

“We can use your spirits!” he said. “Why didn’t I think of this before?”

He pulled away, pacing as he continued to talk to himself animatedly, while the rest of them just stared.

“Back at Everlue’s, I was pulled through the spirit world.”

Tegan blinked as she listened, brows furrowed. She wasn’t an idiot by any means and even though her knowledge of Celestial wizards was a little limited, she still knew a few key things. Being pulled through the spirit world wasn’t a simple thing by any means. It also wasn’t ethical either. No, the spirit world was just that, a world for spirits. It was their sacred place, their haven, not a place for humans. How Natsu had even managed such a thing without dying, she had no clue. As though solidifying her train of thought, Lucy began elaborating.

“Normal people would suffocate to death if they tried, it’s hard to breathe in their world.”

Yep, that’s what she thought. It wasn’t a surprise though. Spirits didn’t need air like they did. Obviously because they were spirits. Yes, they were alive, but they didn’t have the same physical needs that humans do. Not to mention, spirits were eternal, they lived forever. In a way, she pitied them for that fact. The realization of knowing no matter how time passed, they could never truly be apart of the world, merely watching while everything fell apart.

When she finally tuned back into what was being said, Tegan found Lucy shaking Happy almost violently, the tiny feline’s eyes wide as his head snapped from side to side. She seemed to be gushing over him as he held some sort of golden key in his paw. Upon finally surrendering it to the blonde, the woman stood up, key grasped tightly in her hand.

To Tegan, her words were a bunch of mishmashed bits, her ears buzzing from the wind. The magic from it, however, was a different story. She watched in fascination as Lucy called out, a golden light surrounding her. They could feel the pulse of magic, a pull of sorts as its energy converged into one spot.

“Pass through the gate!” she commanded, before slicing through the air with the key. “Open! Gate of the Maiden!”

They watched as the magic around her exploded in light, before she let out one final cry to the cosmos.

“Virgo!”

“Interesting,” Tegan mused, arms folded over her chest.

Before them stood a young woman with pale pink hair. In fact, Tegan found that it was actually lighter than Natsu’s, taking a slow step forward as she gave her a once over. She completely dismissed Lucy look of utter confusion, looking as though she were about to fall over. The spirit in question was dressed in a maid’s outfit oddly enough, white socks running to meet her thighs. She’d never seen anyone that had managed to pull that off before. Even stranger were the chain that adorned her wrists. What was their purpose?

Ignoring Lucy’s sudden outburst of confusion, Natsu stepped forward in greeting as though recognizing her right away.

“What’s up Burger?” he grinned pleasantly. “Man, you look great.”

Tegan blinked at his words. Burger? What kind of greeting was that?

“You lost some weight,” he added happily.

Again, she blinked, looking the woman over with a critical eye. Things like that weren’t something that Natsu normally noticed. He was usually oblivious to most things as is, so this confused the Water Slayer greatly.

“My name’s Virgo,” the spirit offered, hands clasped in front of her pleasantly. “I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble I may have caused you.”

“She didn’t just lose weight, Natsu!” Lucy finally snapped, catching the attention of both Gray and Tegan, the latter still examining the spirit.

“What do you mean?” Gray questioned.

“She’s like a totally different person!” the blonde squealed.

At that, Virgo turned her attention to Lucy, a smile on her face.

“I’m a very loyal spirit,” Virgo said simply. “I’ll do anything to please my wizard. So I take on whatever form I feel my wizard will find most appealing.”

Her explanation was a simple one, despite the creepiness of it. Tegan wondered if that meant that the spirit would allow anything to happen. Would the woman sit by and still be ever faithful even if the wizard she served was maddened? Would she allow the travesties of such things to follow to be allowed without complaint? It was an unnerving concept. The need to constantly please one person no matter the outcome.

“I don’t know…” Natsu started, giving the woman a once-over. “I kind of liked it when you were big and tough lookin’.”

“Did you really?” she questioned, tilting her head to the side as she considered his comment. “Well then,” she said sweetly, blinking before light suddenly enveloped her.

Tegan had to shield her eyes due to the brightness of it.

“I’ll change back if you like.”

Within seconds of the new voice, Tegan’s eyes widened, staring upward as she found a new form towering over. Her fingers twitched as she stood there, an obese giant of a woman now in front of her. She had to swallow the lump in her throat as she inched backward, before eventually backing into Gray, her hands squeezing her shoulders in fright. For a moment, the same thought went through their heads. _Vulcan’s are better than this._

In truth, she wasn’t _scared_ per say, more shocked and uncomfortable at the sudden change in size. If Virgo wanted, she could easily crush any one of them in her current form, standing easily two times taller than Natsu. Scratch that, three of Laxus was probably more accurate, making her feel even smaller than she normally did.

“The height is disturbing,”  Tegan choked out, back still pressed against Gray.

“You’re tellin’ me,” he cringed.

“I’m your wizard and I like the other form better!” Lucy suddenly screeched beside them.

Almost instantaneously, Virgo reverted back to the other form, a simple, ‘as you wish, Mistress,’ following after. If it weren’t for how unnerved she was, Tegan may have laughed.

 

**DEAR READERS!**

**I thank you for your patience. School is almost over for me and then I'll have far more time on my hands. ANYWAY... I hope you liked this chapter and I already have more on the way. For this story I don't really want to go episode for episode and just copy everything. There will be a few things that happen that Tegan will follow along with due to progression, but she's not going to be apart of every single last thing. This will allow for character and relationship developement. I also plan to change things up a bit with the Fantasia turn out. Some things will be the same, others won't. There will also be a different reasoning behind it so as to keep Laxus from being expelled. I am also looking for MISSION IDEAS! I found one website containing a few that were free for use and sparked a wonderfully hilarious event with Laxus and Tegan. Unfortunately, the ideas are limited for other missions. So please, if you have any ideas at all, please let me know. I have so much fun writing and with your help I can continue to produce entertaining chapters. Also, the next chapter will reveal more about Tegan's background, just like the anime did for Natsu and a few others. I also plan to expand on her relationship with Natsu and others. Again, PLEASE MESSAGE WITH IDEAS!**

**THANKS GUYS!**


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